Michael Weir: If Celtic are silly enough to let Leigh Griffiths go then Hibs have to make it happen

Proven goalscorers are hard to get so if there's any chance to bring Leigh Griffiths back to Hibs then the club must try to make it happen.

There are question marks over Leigh Griffiths future at Celtic and the striker has been linked with a return to Hibs. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

He's maybe not played a lot of football over the last couple of years, but if you're looking for a striker who is going to guarantee you goals then he falls into that category.

He knows the club, he's played here before, and he knows the expectations. He will get the goals if you give him the chances.

I'm a bit miffed why he hasn't played more games for Celtic over the last few months. I was surprised to see him on the bench and only coming on with five or 10 minutes to go. There's still a lot of football left in Leigh Griffiths. He's had injuries but he's got that killer touch in front of goal as he showed against Aberdeen.

Kevin Nisbet has come in and shown he's a goalscorer but if you're talking about Leigh Griffiths you're at a different level – he has proved it over a sustained time and if he's available then I'm sure Jack Ross would want to sign him.

He's had his off-field problems, but if you can keep him fit then you're talking about a proven top quality striker which is very hard to come by. I still think he's got a part to play at Celtic under a new manager. It would be awfully silly of them to let him go and not have a think about his goals record.

I would also take him to the Euros, 100 per cent. Anyone who has his goalscoring record, his experience and who can affect a football game the way he can, you have to take them, especially as it's one of the departments Scotland have been lacking in.

We'll have to see how it pans out, but he's the type of player Hibs need to look at bringing in next season if they want to do well in Europe and push on again in the Premiership. I've said for a long time Hibs need to sign players with pedigree. We can't keep taking risks all the time because eventually that will catch up with you.

Europe's a bonus, but we should be targeting to stay third in the league every season we possibly can and to do that you need to bring in pedigree footballers who have played at a high level to push us forward. I'm not saying they should all be like that, but a club like Hibs should always look to bring in one or two a season to lift the club again, and give them an extra dimension to go forward.

You've got to have players in the squad who have been there and done it. Ones who have a bit of know-how from Europe or they've won something in their careers. You need that in a squad that wants to compete for trophies.

I look back many years ago to when Stevie Archibald came to the club and that was the change for a lot of young players. He brought an experience to everyone along with guys like Jim Leighton, 'Budgie' Burridge, Murdo MacLeod – having those types around your squad is invaluable.

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