According to the Daily Record, Christian Doidge is a target for Hibs. The forward was most recently at Forest Green Rovers, where he scored an impressive 14 goals in 25 matches over a six month period during 2018/19, scoring 15 over the season.
Now the Hibees are reportedly moving in for him. The deal would cost the Easter Road side a £250k transfer fee the report claims.
Doidge is a reported Hibs target. (photo by Alan Martin/Action Plus via Getty Images)
His goal record is impressive but is he going to be the man to fix Hibs’ striker problems?
Doidge had horror spell last time he made a step up
There’s no denying that Hibs are a step up from Forest Green Rovers, no matter what some English football fans will tell you. This is a jump in quality for the Welsh striker.
He’s been prolific for Rovers, scoring 66 goals in 122 games. The 26-year-old also scored 11 in 55 for Dagenham and Redbridge, plus 19 in 45 outings for Carmarthen Town AFC earlier in his career.
Doidge’s Dagenham days. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)
This is all sounds well and good, that’s because it is. Doidge knows where the net is. One concern may come from a horrifc loan spell he had at Bolton.
During the first half of last season, he made the step up to Championship football. Wanderers have had their troubles off the park recently, but that cant be an excuse for Doidge’s goal record.
Bolton had signed him on loan with a view to signing him permanently. After one goal in 17 Championship games, Doidge returned to Rovers in January as Wanderers couldn’t afford to sign him. They’re probably glad they had the excuse to not sign him permanently.
The marksman struggled in his first taste of high level football. (Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Welshman Doidge has since started firing again in League Two. It begs the question whether he can actually make a step up, or whether League Two is his level.
His goal record speaks for itself, so Doidge is probably worth a punt. With his last big move ending in failure though, he’d need to hit the ground running to avoid another horror spell at a big club.