Hibs trio in limbo as decision on season drags
Hibernian’s out-of-contract players have been left in limbo as the club tries to navigate through the coronavirus shutdown and awaits a decision on the conclusion to the season.
Vykintas Slivka, Steven Whittaker, pictured, and Adam Bogdan all become free agents on 31 May but manager Jack Ross has revealed that all talks have been put on hold.
“Without a definitive decision on the conclusion of the season, it makes it difficult to have meaningful dialogue,” he said. “Only a few weeks ago there was talk that the season could be extended and Uefa were saying those contracts might be stretched until we could get the season finished in September or October. So all these things have been floating about and made it difficult to open up more dialogue and make a commitment to a player, not knowing what the future holds.
“That is why I feel that the sooner we can make some sort of decision about when we will finish or call a halt to the season, the more helpful it will be for a number of reasons.”
There remains a possibility that renewals may be agreed, at least in some cases. But, much will depend on the players’ own thoughts.
Slivka, 25, and Whittaker, 35, were signed by former manager Neil Lennon in July 2017 and, in the club’s first season back in the top flight, helped Hibs qualify for Europe. Whittaker has been combining a football management course with playing and working on his coaching badges and has an eye for making the eventual switch.
Bogdan joined on loan from Liverpool for the 201819 season and returned on a short-term deal following his Anfield release last November.
“We had some informal dialogue but because we have so few out of contract and they each have different scenarios, we weren’t rushing things,” said Ross. “Their situations were all individual and I don’t think we had finalised with any of them what our plans were or, indeed, what their plans were. Each of them has different things to consider and this stop has delayed those talks. But we need some clarity or there is not much point in trying to formalise anything.”