Hibs star's future on table as boss addresses potential move, 'personal' element and possible January bids
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Hibs boss David Gray has addressed the possibility of losing fan favourite Martin Boyle in the summer. And the gaffer says the realities of the transfer market mean he has to be braced for clubs to bid on his star players – Boyle included – before the end of the January transfer window.
Boyle is effectively already free to talk to potential suitors as he enters the final six months of his contract at Hibs. Having spoken about his long-term ambition to play in the A-League as a way of giving something back to Australian football, the Scots-born Socceroos star has already been the subject of confirmed interest from Perth Glory, among others.
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Hide AdFormer club captain Gray, who has known Boyle since his own playing days, stresses that the attacker – who has scored back-to-back doubles in his past two games – is perfectly happy with life at Hibs. But the manager said his personal relationship with the 31-year-old can play no part in negotiations.
Asked if it was easier to talk with Boyle openly and honestly given their shared history, Gray said: “Yeah, I think that does work both ways to be honest. I think it probably helps that I've got that little personal relationship with him.
“But then when you are talking about something like his future, it's very important that it's not personal at all for me. I can't use the fact that he used to be my teammate or whatever. Not at all.
“There's conversations going on all the time. At this moment in time, he's really happy in playing the way he is. If that continues to the summer, then we'll all benefit from that.”
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Hide AdWhen it was suggested that their mutual respect and trust meant there could be a degree of ease about letting negotiations – either with Hibs or other clubs – play out, Gray said: “Yeah, within reason. Because then, if anything happens …
“As always, whether players are in contract, out of contract, when you play for a club like this and we're playing well at the moment, there's some players that maybe aren't playing who clubs on the outside will look at and say: ‘Well, he might be available. Could he be available?’
“But even your key players that are playing and playing well will attract interest from other clubs. So you need to always be on the front foot and be ready to react.
“I don't want to lose anyone. If somebody says, you're going to lose Martin Boyle, I wouldn't want that to happen.
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Hide Ad“But it's also a business and everything that comes with that. So we need to be proactive and ready for anything that could come up.
“But at this moment in time, he's happy, he's playing and long may that continue. He's a player that we're benefiting from being back to what's deemed his best at the moment, which is great. He's playing with a smile on his face.
“He's happy. He's had to go through a bit of adversity this season. For the first time in his career, since he really kicked on, when he first joined the club, he had to be patient to get his game regularly.
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Hide Ad“But then he really became a key figure for his club. He's played in a lot of big games and a lot of key moments for the club, big moments for the club.
“I think we're starting to see that again. He's had to go through a tough time, but he's playing with a smile just now – and long may that continue.”