Record Hibs signing Klidje opens up on goals, expectations - and learning to understand his team-mates
Togo international provides vital spark as Gray’s men climb to third
Record Hibs signing Thibault Klidje has spoken about his joy and relief after scoring his first goal at Easter Road. And the striker revealed his desire to show fans exactly why their club invested so heavily in his talents.
Klidje was a stand-out in yesterday’s 4-0 dismantling of Livingston, opening the scoring and then winning a penalty that allowed Jamie McGrath to double the home side’s lead from the spot. On a day when Junior Hoilett came off the bench to score twice, there was only one choice for Man of the Match honours.
And the Togo international, signed from Swiss side Luzern in a deal worth up to £1.5 million including add-ons, could hardly have been happier after just his second Scottish Premiership start for the club he joined in mid-July. After a lot of hard work to overcome the language barrier, with a little help from Rocky Bushiri, the French-speaking 24-year-old feels like he’s on the brink of a major breakthrough.
Asked if he felt under pressure to meet expectations raised to sky-high levels by the transfer fee paid for his services, Klidje said: ‘Yes, as a new player it’s always difficult. But the fans are here to watch football. They brought me here, so I have to show them what I can do. That’s all.
“I’m new here, a new player, so I have to adapt to the system of the coach. He talks a lot with me and tries to push me.
“My teammates try to include me in the team. I have to keep working more and more to get my chances.
“It’s a little bit difficult when you don’t understand the language. But like I said, they try to do their best to help me, and I’m very happy with that.
“I try to speak a little bit more in English. I have a lot of friends who speak French, and many guys (in the dressing room) try to give me more attention.”
Gray spoke recently about having to make sure that Klidje picked up on everything being said at training, with the machine-gun verbals of players and coaching staff liable to leave even fluent English speakers struggling at times. Gray has taken time to work one-on-one with the Francophone forward – and not just on his language skills.
Team-mates slowing down chatter for new boy
Admitting that it was difficult, at first, to follow everything being said, Klidje said: “Yes, sometimes. But they try to help me by speaking slowly! Then I get more words. If he asks me to do something, he comes to me and explains more, and then I can understand better.
“We have a lot of things to do on the training ground because we are strikers. At the end of training, he catches me and wants to work with me in front of goal. We have a lot of exercises to do every day.
“I think the Scottish Premiership is more physical than where I was. Now I’m trying to work hard to become stronger.”
Klidje has been quickly integrated in the group, from dining out – African food, he explains – with Congolese international Bushiri to joining others in similarly relaxed social settings. It’s not always easy to settle, off the park – and that can occasionally be reflected in on-field performances.
Yesterday’s showing will do Klidje’s confidence a great deal of good. The same goes for plenty in that Hibs line-up.
“My goal was very important for me to score in front of the fans,” said the former Bordeaux prospect, who received a standing ovation from the Easter Road crowd when he was substituted in the second half. “That gave me more confidence for the next game.
“We found a way to get the victory. We spoke a lot about that, and that clean sheet is very important for us. Now we are focussed on the next game and trying to do better to move up the table.”