Premier League play-off final still biggest factor in next step for Socceroos prospect
Top Hibs transfer target Nectar Triantis is no longer a prime target for Portsmouth as the EFL Championship strugglers look to rebuild their midfield after a disappointing season in England’s second tier. But David Gray will have to wait until AFTER the Premier League play-off before getting full clarity on the Sunderland loanee’s immediate future.
Triantis, who returned to Easter Road for a second loan spell last summer, has been a crucial figure in helping Gray steer his team from the foot of the Scottish Premiership to a third-place finish with a game to spare. It’s now odds-on that Hibs will be playing in some sort of UEFA league format next season – meaning they’ll need quality AND quantity to balance the twin demands of European and domestic competition.
Gray hopes that the lure of playing in either the Europa League or Europa Conference League will be a major factor in persuading Triantis, who has just turned 22, to have another crack at life in Scotland – either on loan or via a permanent transfer. And it looks as though one of the former Central Coast Mariner star’s other options, a move to Portsmouth, has been closed off.
The Portsmouth News report that Pompey have dropped their interest in a player who earned his first senior Socceroos call-up off the back of his performances for Hibernian. Triantis, who has just been short-listed for the Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year award, will have other opportunities to weigh up.
But a lot will depend on where parent club Sunderland, who have him under contract for another two years, end up playing their football. The Black Cats face Sheffield United in the Premier League play-off at Wembley on Saturday, May 24, with a place in the world’s richest league at stake.
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Speaking just last week, Triantis – who has blossomed under the guidance of Gray since being converted from a central defender to a central midfielder – admitted: "Things can vary, whether they (Sunderland) go up to the Premier League or not. They do keep in good contact with me, so it's a healthy relationship.
"I'm unsure (about what happens next). Obviously, there's three games left, so you obviously focus on that. Then come the summer, who knows what can happen and what things get put on the table?
“I've really appreciated Hibernian as a club, because they've given me that platform to really be a mainstay in the team and to showcase myself every game this season. I do appreciate that.”
Contract talks likely to make for a busy end to season
Hibs have worked hard to agree extended deals for a number of players who were due to become free agents this summer, with sporting director Malky Mackay eager to avoid a mass turnover of talent ahead of Gray’s second season as head coach. There should be no repeat of last summer’s influx, when an even dozen new players were signed before the deadline.
But, including loan deals, Triantis is one of a handful of players not guaranteed to be turning out for Hibs next year. Mykola Kuharevich returns to Swansea when his loan expires, while talks between the club and Junior Hoilett – out of contract in a matter of days – are still ongoing.
Rocky Bushiri is another still in limbo, the Democratic Republic of Congo defender weighing up alternatives while keeping his Hibs options open. And, despite Gray wanting to retain Martin Boyle and the Socceroos forward expressing his desire to stay, the finances behind triggering a one-year extension on the veteran’s contract have left that situation unresolved heading into the final game of the season, at home to Rangers on Saturday.
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