What could Toby Sibbick signing mean for short-term future of John Souttar and Peter Haring?

Like the T-Rex eating the raptors at the end of Jurassic Park, Hearts came from nowhere on Thursday evening to announce their third signing of the January transfer window.

With very little prior buzz any deal was in the offing, Toby Sibbick was paraded at Tynecastle with a maroon-and-white scarf above his head as fans reacted with a mix of glee and shock at the news – a player whose legacy at Tynecastle seemed certain to be an obscure trivia answer will now be staying for the next three-and-a-half years.

The 22-year-old looked a promising addition after joining on loan from Barnsley in January 2020. He played well in a 2-1 win over Rangers and was one of the better performers in a topsy-turvy 3-3 draw with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. He picked up an injury in that game and was then ruled out for several weeks with glandular fever. When he was healthy enough to return, he found the season had been postponed and would soon be permanently cancelled with dubiously disappearing emails seeing Hearts unfairly relegated.

Now he’s back and with a contract of that length, not to mention the fact he was popular among Barnsley supporters from his play in the English Championship, one would assume he’s here on the promise of a regular spot in the starting XI. So whose place is he taking?

Toby Sibbick rejoined Hearts on Thursday, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal. Picture: SNS

If his previous spell is anything to go by, it could be Peter Haring. The 28-year-old is a popular figure but has been looked upon as the third-choice centre-midfielder behind Cammy Devlin and Beni Baningime for most of this season. He is also in the last few months of his contract and a new one doesn’t appear to be arriving in the coming days or weeks. After the spate of extensions in early January concluded, head coach Robbie Neilson said there were no new deals in the pipeline, though they were considering one or two others, which would presumably be Haring and Andy Halliday. With Baningime now back from injury and Sibbick a physical option in the centre, this could be the beginning of the end for the Austrian if he struggles to keep his place.

However, while Hearts fans may remember Sibbick as a centre-midfielder, the St Johnstone match is literally his last appearance in the position. In fact, throughout his career, it appears only Daniel Stendel saw the 22-year-old as an option in the engine room.

He’s played 38 times since leaving Tynecastle and has featured at right centre-back in all but two of them. That would be the position currently held by John Souttar, the man noted for signing a pre-contract with Rangers and having his every touch booed during the recent win over St Johnstone. The same John Souttar who was left out of the Scottish Cup tie with Auchinleck Talbot last Saturday, meaning he’ll still be eligible to play in this season’s tournament if he goes elsewhere.

On a recent podcast, Neilson admitted they were looking at replacements for Souttar, regardless of whether or not the Scottish international left in January. In Sibbick they appear to have his long-term successor. It’s up to Rangers and what transfer package they can put together as to whether he’ll take on the mantle immediately.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.