Why Hibs signing 'flourishing' Élie Youan permanently would be a smart move for all parties

Hibs are already having conversations about the future of their five loanees but Élie Youan’s situation is slightly different, with an option to buy already negotiated as part of the deal.

While the quoted sum that was doing the rounds on social media is somewhat higher than the actual agreed fee, the clause is one less hurdle for club chiefs to negotiate in the summer. It gives them an advantage.

The Frenchman has had a strange sort of season. He looked like quite the find in the first few matches, as he racked up three assists in the opening five games, including teeing up Martin Boyle for the late, late equaliser against Hearts in the first derby of the campaign, but he didn’t register a single goal contribution during Hibs’ next five matches, which included a run of four straight victories. That was ten games without a goal, but it took Christian Doidge nine blank games before he hit the goal trail. Sometimes all forwards need is any sort of goal to spark a purple patch in front of goal.

When he did open his account, it was the consolation goal in a 6-1 defeat by Celtic in Glasgow, followed by another blank period in which he was mostly used off the bench, and then from Christmas Eve onwards he has been more direct, more incisive, more of a threat.

Élie Youan has turned into a potent attacking threat for Hibs

Speaking earlier this week, manager Lee Johnson said: "I think Élie had a good start in terms of impact and assists early on in the season, if not goalscoring. He carried a threat. I think he has always added value. He then lost his way a little bit in my opinion, lost a bit of confidence, and probably lost a little bit of trust in the group. But he worked really hard, especially during the World Cup break, and in training to secure a first-team place.”

Johnson also believes Youan’s first few months at Hibs represented a classic case of a previously overseas-based player taking time to settle into, and adapt, to the Scottish game – but reckons the player is now thriving on that style having been allowed time to get to grips with it.

“Foreign players do take time to settle,” Johnson continued. “Don't expect them to hit the ground running. There’s a lot in this league, as brilliant as it is, which is unique. The pitches, surfaces, stadiums, the expectation to get the ball in the box, a very different tempo. I actually think he is flourishing under those conditions at the moment.”

Team-mate Chris Cadden, who combined with the forward for Hibs’ third goal against Livingston, said: “I think I saw someone say you'd pay money to watch him training and you would! He just goes out and enjoys himself. He's good with both feet, quick, strong, powerful, a good finisher. There's not really much more he can do, he just has to keep going – and the rest of us just need to keep giving him the ball! He's very unpredictable but that's good. He has so much in his locker that you don't know what he's going to do."

Manager Lee Johnson has been impressed with Youan, especially since the World Cup break

Youan has six assists and six goals from 27 league matches so far, and you wouldn’t bet against him adding to both before the season is out. The one main criticism of him would be his performance in big matches. Aside from the assist against Hearts and the goal against Celtic, he has drawn a blank in matches against the Gorgie side and the Old Firm duo. There were moments on Wednesday night against Rangers but Johnson admitted afterwards that the player hadn’t had the same impact, and he was withdrawn just before the hour mark.

“He has been really confident lately and I don't know whether that slipped into a bit of complacency or the fact the game was one level higher, but he didn't quite have the same influence on the game as he has done,” he said.

Yet more often than not, come 4.55pm on most Saturdays a lot of Hibs fans have been calling for the club to make the move permanent sooner rather than later. They fear losing Youan to another club. They recognise that his unpredictability, versatility, and talent makes him a good option in the final third.

It’s also worth noting that Youan still hasn’t played 100 top-flight professional games. He won’t even reach that marker by the end of the current campaign, as he currently sits on 79 games for Hibs, Nantes, St. Gallen, and Mechelen.

Youan tussles with Ryan Kent of Rangers during Wednesday night's match

He left Nantes after a handful of appearances, joining St. Gallen where reports in the Swiss media suggested an eventual falling-out with the manager, before a switch to Belgium that was brief and disappointing. Perhaps, like so many players, he has finally found a club where it all simply just clicks.

He could have a big say in where Hibs finish this season. Keeping hold of him for next season allows for some continuity. Speaking after the Livingston game he was somewhat coy about his future. “There have been no discussions of that kind, we only talk about football – what I can do to help the team, how I can progress and be more clinical. I don’t talk about contracts but you can see I’m happy here. I score goals and I get assists; I like Edinburgh a lot – it’s my home now.”

It’s not quite a ‘cut me open and I bleed green’, but there are enough hints to suggest that the player recognises staying at Easter Road could be the best decision for his career, backed up by his impromptu ‘Hibees, Hibees’ chant post-Livi. If he continues to perform well, and builds on his performances this season, he will undoubtedly attract greater interest, and Hibs will benefit from a player who may still feel he has a point to prove on the big stage.