Hibs director of football search narrows with Mixu Paatelainen in the frame

Hibs have conducted interviews with five director of football candidates – and former striker and manager Mixu Paatelainen is among those to have recently met with club chiefs.

The Finn threw his hat into the ring for the position some weeks ago and attended the agonising UEFA Youth League defeat by Borussia Dortmund in February. And as reported by the Scottish Sun, Paatelainen – who was most recently boss at HIFK in his homeland, and has had management stints with Dundee United, Kilmarnock, Ubon UMT in Thailand as well as with the Latvian and Hong Kong national teams – has met with Easter Road top brass, including manager Lee Johnson, to discuss his vision for the role.

Brian McDermott, who had an ill-fated spell as manager of Leeds United in between two stints at the helm of Reading and served as Arsenal’s chief scout for a 14-month period has also been interviewed by Hibs as they look to identify the right fit for the job while long-serving football agent Raymond Sparkes has also held talks with the club’s hierarchy as the process approaches an end. The owner of the Pro Star Management agency, Sparkes can count former Hibs players John Collins and Paul Lovering as previous clients.

Speaking in January, Hibs CEO Ben Kensell outlined the key qualities his ideal director of football candidate would possess.

Former Hibs striker and manager Mixu Paatelainen is a candidate for the Director of Football role

“We’re looking for an experienced head to take charge and lead on a medium and long-term strategy while working with the Academy and all areas at HTC. I would like them to have an understanding of how we can be better in the areas we need to be.

"What I’d expect from this individual is someone who comes with Scottish experience, that has football knowledge, contacts in the game, and someone who will come in to make us better. We want someone who will put processes in place that ensure we correct some of the things we got wrong and can move us forward.

“Ultimately the director of football should be there to support the manager. They should work hand-in-hand with Lee and a lot of the staff at HTC, whilst reviewing and improving. It’s about support at the end of the day and about football knowledge, nous and driving a football strategy that makes us better.”