Hibs braced for £1 million-plus Blackburn bid as gaffer Gray makes 'ready to react' Deadline Day promise

Hibs boss David Gray admits the club must be ‘ready to react’ in the event of losing prized asset Elie Youan before Deadline Day, as Blackburn Rovers consider whether to return with an improved offer of £1 million-plus for the French attacker. And the Easter Road outfit have already identified signings capable of off-setting the loss of the 25-year-old flier, should he move on.

Blackburn, currently sitting seventh in the Championship, want Youan – still out injured with a toe problem that has kept him sidelined since the Boxing Day win over Hearts at Tynecastle – to boost their forward options as they look to secure a place in the play-offs. The former Nantes and St Gallen player saw a summer move back to France fall through after he picked up a hip injury that kept him sidelined until after the window had closed.

Asked if he still expected Youan to be a Hibs player come Tuesday morning, Gray said: “If he's still here then brilliant. If he's not and something comes up that we think is right for everybody involved, then we'll have to be ready to react in whatever way we think makes the club better.

“Élie is someone who, in every window, attracts attention and speculation purely because of his attributes and the qualities he has. There is a lot of speculation around Élie but at this moment in time he's still a Hibs player and until that changes there's no real news on him.

“He’s injured at the moment. He needs to keep working hard to get himself back on the training pitch as quickly as he can.”

Gray believes the “domino effect” of transfers at the top of European football triggering moves further down the line will naturally cause a rush of business between now and the mid-season market closing on Monday night. But he cautioned against Hibs fans expecting definite comings and goings.

Bloated squad

Gray said: “I don't know if ‘expect’ is the right word. I think the closer you get towards the deadline a lot of things start to happen; the domino effect of people moving on at different levels and how that filters through.

“We need to be ready and if something comes up that we think can make us better, we'll definitely look to try to do that. But at the same time, if anything comes towards us, we've got quite a bloated squad as well and we need to be ready to react to that. The work's been ongoing for a number of weeks to make sure that we finish the window in a stronger position than we started it."

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Confirming that his only signing of the January window to date, Gambian midfielder Alasana Manneh, will not be available to face Aberdeen tomorrow, Gray insisted: “I'm delighted to get that one done. He's not available this weekend; we're still waiting on visas and international clearance, which we're hoping to try and get through today.

“Even if it does come through later today, he still won't be available for the weekend. It might take until Monday, but he'll join us early next week worst-case scenario which is brilliant.

“He’ll provide real strength and depth in the middle of the pitch. He’s played at a very good level, very competitive, very comfortable on the ball as well.”

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