'A good signing with potential still to be realised': What Hibs are getting in incoming ex-Motherwell man Chris Cadden

Everything you need to know about the versatile Scot, who is expected to become Hibs’ first signing this month

Chris Cadden during his days with Motherwell. Picture: SNS

Hibs fans have been frustrated by recent results and performances and were crying out for their club to add to the squad in January. Therefore, they would, and should, have been happy just three days into the window to see news that former Motherwell academy graduate Chris Cadden was on his way.

The Bellshill prodigy made 139 appearances for the Steelmen, including starting spots in both the League Cup and Scottish Cup final when Stephen Robinson’s side faced off against Celtic twice at Hampden in the 2017/18 campaign. Since leaving Lanarkshire in 2019, however, it hasn’t been quite so plain-sailing for the Scottish international.

He remains the subject of a protracted compensation dispute between Motherwell and Columbus Crew over his move across the Atlantic. The Fir Park side believe they are entitled to £200,000 in a development fee, though the MLS outfit argue they should only have to pay something in the region of £30,000. Muddying the waters further was the decision by Columbus to immediately loan Cadden out to Oxford United – a team that pursued the player prior to his departure to the United States and would have had to pay somewhere around £320,000 to sign him permanently from Motherwell. Fir Park supporters thought they’d been stitched up and Cadden later commented on his disappointment at being called “a rat” on social media. When fans are allowed back into stadiums, expect a hefty amount of booing whenever he touches the ball against his former club.

The American adventure ended up being something of a damp squib for the 24-year-old. Following the completion of his Oxford loan, and once football had restarted after the coronavirus pandemic, he played 10 times, only three of which came from the starting XI along with 12 unused substitute appearances. Columbus went on to win the 2020 MLS Cup, beating Seattle Sounders 3-0 in the final, but Cadden wasn’t among the 18-man squad for the showpiece event.

His lack of regular playing time recently – just six competitive first-team minutes since the beginning of November – should encourage patience from the Easter Road support as he gets back to peak match sharpness. On the bright side, his career since leaving the SPFL hasn’t been all bad. He was a success at Oxford, starting regularly and was viewed as someone supporters of the Grenoble Road club would have happily welcomed back.

Nailing down Cadden’s best position could be key for Hibs manager Jack Ross in getting the best out of the signing. A utility man during his time at Motherwell, he played almost exclusively at right-back for the Yellows. His advanced attacking statistics from the position – 29 per cent crossing accuracy, three dribbles per game at 49 per cent success rate, 0.91 touches in penalty box and 2.12 progressive runs per 90 – are all similar to that of Paul McGinn this campaign. Getting another full-back to challenge McGinn definitely isn’t a bad thing, especially when Cadden is six years younger and back-up David Gray’s career is clearly coming to an end.

McGinn is a better defender. Cadden is more of an athlete. In fact, he’s a thoroughbred. He’s fast, strong as an ox and his stamina is ridiculous. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first minute or the last, he’s capable of going full throttle and never seems to tire. There’s also a chaos factor element to his play in the opposing third, which is why he viewed more as an attacker at Motherwell, either on the wing or at wing-back. Think of Callum Paterson during his time at Hearts for a playing-style comparison.

Using him at wing-back would allow Hibs to play in a 3-5-2 more easily and have Martin Boyle further forward. Boyle’s pace and hard-work makes him an excellent option at wing-back, but he’s arguably too good in an attacking sense at this level to spend 50 per cent of games worrying about the opposing winger.

Ross could try to succeed where other managers have failed and that’s getting consistency out of Cadden at centre-midfield, which was long said to be his “natural” position. He can throw his weight around, get up and down the park, driving the ball from deep, and is not a disaster either technically or with his passing. His development in the role may have been shunted at Motherwell due to the demand for gaps to be filled elsewhere in the team. Although, aside from explosive glimpses here and there, he failed to impress consistently when given a chance in the engine room to demand a spot there on a weekly basis. Forthright in style, he maybe just lacked the guile in the centre to go with his attacking instincts.

Cadden’s potential has yet to be realised, but he’s not a rough diamond either. He has two caps for his country. (Yes, they came during that bizarre trip to South America under Alex McLeish, but they still count.) At his current level, once he’s up to full fitness and match sharpness, he’ll be a very good squad player and will very likely become a popular member of the starting XI. What he won’t be at this moment in time is one of the five-to-ten best players in the league outside of the Old Firm, but he certainly has the ability to be.

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 trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.