If it wasn’t over before it is now. Hibs manager Paul Heckingbottom has put to rest all notions that a deal for Scunthorpe United midfielder Funso Ojo is still on the cards.
A long-running saga looks set to reach its conclusion soon. The BBC have recently reported that the Belgian midfielder has opted for Aberdeen over Hibs, having initially chosen Easter Road as his preferred choice according to BBC journalist Mike White.
The Ojo deal is dead. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Now Hibees boss Heckingbottom has shut down the transfer for good. Speaking to NTOF after a frustrating draw with Stirling Albion, he shot down any chance of a Hibs Ojo deal.
He said: “We’re not going to do it, it’s not for us. We made a really good offer but it’s not just about that. We have to sign players who believe in the same things as us and want to come here for the right reasons.
“There’s a reason we are that diligent. We want the dressing room to be unbelievable and we want to make sure we get players coming here for the right reasons.
Heckingbottom needs the right players at the club. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
“We want them to share the same values that we want to share and that’s been enhanced by the new ownership as well.”
Heckingbottom thought he had Ojo in May
This has been a transfer that has been drawn out for months according tot Heckingbottom. He revealed to NTOF that he thought the deal was done for Ojo way back in May. He now has a vibe that Ojo wouldn’t be as committed to the Hibees cause.
Heckingbottom lifted the lid on the ins and outs of this transfer saga, from a Hibs perspective.
Hibs boss Heckingbottom wishes Ojo well at his new club. (Photo by Alan Rennie/Action Plus via Getty Images)
He said: “In May we thought we had got him but there was a clause in his contract that didn’t allow it to happen. It was done. There was nothing and the next thing we know, Scunthorpe had accepted a bid from Aberdeen, so we matched it.
“In those negotiations things began to change for us which were sort of red lights. It’s up to us what we do. Good luck to him. The circumstances were different second time round, you can see different things in people.
“We have to be really careful about who we bring into this football club and they have to care about it as much as everybody else.”