Hibs land first recruit of January transfer window as former Barcelona prospect arrives to reinforce Euro push

Hibs have secured their first recruit of the January window after signing former Barcelona prospect Alasana Manneh on a three-and-a-half year deal. As exclusively revealed here last week, David Gray and new head of recruitment Garvan Stewart identified the Gambian international midfielder as a prime target in a mid-season market where the emphasis was always going to be on quality over quantity.

The Easter Road club are likely to add at least one more signing before next Monday night’s deadline and, while Manchester United youngster Dan Gore is on a long list of potential recruits, there has been no significant movement on that front so far. United remain keen on getting the 20-year-old out on loan to gain experience after an injury-wrecked spell with Port Vale last season.

Manneh emerged as a player of interest last week, with the 26-year-old Odense Boldklub player immediately signalling that he felt ready for a move away from Danish football to take on a new challenge in Scotland. As Gray looks to give his team another boost in their pursuit of qualification for European football, he identified the left-sided midfielder – responsible for creating a lot of Odense’s chances as they’ve established themselves as title favourites in the Danish second tier – as a footballer with the “X Factor” needed to improve the starting XI immediately.

Gray said: “We’re delighted to bring Alasana to the club.As a player he’s very competitive, has a fantastic work ethic, and has good technical ability on the ball.

“At 26, he has good experience at senior level and playing in high-level leagues, and he adds extra strength in depth to the middle of our midfield. I look forward to working with him.”

‘Real impact’ predicted

Hibs sporting director Malky Mackay added: “We have been diligent in our work throughout the January transfer window to ensure we add quality and not quantity to our first team squad. Alasana is someone we’ve been watching for a long period of time, knowing his contract was due to expire in the summer.

“After positive conversations with OB, we’re delighted we’ve been able to agree a deal to bring him in during the January window, so he can make a real impact from now until the rest of the season. He has a real good pedigree coming from Barcelona’s Academy and playing in the top-flights in Poland and Denmark, and I look forward to seeing him perform for us.”

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Capped 18 times by his country, Manneh was part of the Gambia squad at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The midfielder, whose ball-winning skills have also seen him deployed in a more defensive role, started out his European career with mighty Barcelona, joining the set-up at La Masia - alongside the likes of European Championship winner Marc Cucurella - after a spell with the Aspire Academy in Qatar.

He made it as far as Barca B before embarking on a series of loan moves culminating in his departure from Barcelona in 2019. After a stint with Polish club Gornik Zabrze, Maneh signed for Odense on a three-year deal in 2022.

Hibs had made recruitment of a strong-running midfielder a priority in the window. With club captain Joe Newell out injured, Gray is keen to reinforce this area of the park to provide help for Sunderland loanee Nectar Triantis – and competition for the likes of Dylan Levitt and on-loan Celtic player Hyeokkyu Kwon.

Hibs have paid an undisclosed fee believed to be in excess of £100,000 in order to prise Manneh away from OB before his contract expires at the end of the season. The move remains subject to international clearance and visa approval for an established internationalist who featured for Gambia in the most recent Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

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