Marcondes and Maolida get Hibs transfer pitch as Nick Montgomery relies on more than cash to persuade duo

Nick Montgomery will pitch Hibs as a permanent transfer destination for loan stars Emiliano Marcondes and Myziane Maolida.

Maolida arrived on loan from Hertha Berlin until the end of the season. A one-time €10million player, he'd lost his way at the German capital club, with boss Pal Dardai branding him the "laziest" player he'd ever worked with - a claim Maolida's agent described as a "baseless attack." Either way, it's safe to say Maolida has no future in Berlin and will be moved on this summer with a year left on his deal.

That he has become Hibs' top scorer in such a short space of time will likely work against them. Maolida will be a more attractive proposition to richer clubs than he was six months ago and Hertha are looking for an outright sale, or a loan that would over a significant portion of the Bundesliga wages the Bundesliga 2 outfit are still paying him. But Montgomery is hoping being happy in the Easter Road environment can trump the financial aspect, however unlikely that may be and especially after a bottom six finish in the Premiership.

“You never say never," he told the Edinburgh Evening News. "I’ve got a really good relationship with Myz, who is a fantastic human being – and someone who really enjoys playing for the club, as well. His situation, we know that we’ve exposed him back into the market. But before he came here, he was pretty much written off by a lot of people.

“His contract situation means it’s always going to be down to him and his agent. If he can see that Hibs is a real platform to get his career back on track …

“With a good pre-season and the right environment, in a place he enjoys, I think he’s got a high ceiling. And right now he’s loving his football, playing every week. Like with Emi, we’ll have those conversations at the end of the season.”

Marcondes' situation is different in that he's a free agent in a few weeks time. He's shown how good a player he can be in spells, but after nine months out of action at Bournemouth, there's a way to go yet. Had he still been under contract with the Cherries, then another loan may have been straightforward given Bill Foley's foot in both camps.

And Montgomery hopes a similar to the one Maolida is getting can convince him to sign on in Leith. He added: “Emi came here after not playing for nine months. So he’s nowhere near the level he can get to. But coming to Hibs has been a real opportunity for him to get playing and get training.

“We’ve been managing the foot injury since he came back, playing on different surfaces here in Scotland. You play on synthetic pitches, soft pitches, hard pitches, so he’s gone through that period where he’s been managing that.

“But look, Emi is happy. He’s really enjoying his time here. People always think it’s about the money. But, when you get to 28/29 years old and you’ve missed a lot of football, it’s about finding somewhere you feel you belong.

“You want to go somewhere that the fans like you, where you can play in a system and style that you enjoy. I know Emi really enjoys it here, so every conversation I’ve had with him has been really positive.

“So yeah, he was desperate to come and help the team this season. I think you saw the quality of the free-kick on Saturday. I think we’ve only had two free-kicks in central areas since he came – I’m not sure how that happened! But I see those free-kicks every day in training.

“You can see that he really loves the fans. Those fans have really taken to him. He’s a really intelligent player.

“So the likes of Emi and Myziane, people forget that these are players who weren’t playing, who didn’t really have a home. Coming to Hibs, they’ve found a home and found a supporter base who have really accepted them. And they enjoy playing the way that we play. That’s a big reason for getting players like Emi and Myziane.”