The Bournemouth forward has signed a loan deal until the end of the season at Easter Road and looks set to feature against Rangers.
Nick Montgomery was certain that a player of Emiliano Marcondes’ calibre would have been beyond Hibs’ reach. Nonetheless, as fortune would have it, the Bournemouth playmaker was right under his nose in Dubai this month as the Hibees had their winter training camp.
Montgomery has told how he got lucky in the City of Gold after being put in touch with the former Denmark U21 international when training with a group of Premier League stars, including Jesse Lingard, in the UAE earlier this month.
That unexpected meeting led to a conversation over a cup of coffee, and after some research on all things Leith, the 28-year-old was persuaded to leave the bright lights of the Premier League for a shot at the Premiership. Montgomery signed Marcondes on loan till the end of the season on Monday and was quick to point out that it had nothing to do with Cherries owner Bill Foley’s imminent investment in the Easter Road club.
Set piece specialist Marcondes – a Danish champion with Nordsjaelland in 2020 and a goalscoring Championship play-off winner with Brentford a year later – follows Hertha Berlin forward Myziane Maolida in arriving in Leith on loan in the last week.
And both are in line for quick fire debuts against Rangers this evening. Asked if he knew Marcondes was in Dubai, Montgomery said: “I didn’t actually. When it comes to players like that you don’t think there is any real possibility that you will get them in because of the competition you’re going to face and the constraints we are under financially.
“He was out there training on his own with some big name players from Premier League players. Instead of being on a break, they were out their training and that speaks volumes to the sort of person he is.
“There were enough. Jesse Lingard was one of them. But it shows he was waiting for the proper time, and he’s in great shape, so I’m excited to have him on the squad.
“A former teammate of mine, Simon Francis, who works at Bournemouth, informed me that he was in Dubai, and from there we went through the proper procedures and scheduled a meeting.
That was by chance but we took up the opportunity and got on the front foot and got a taxi through the crazy traffic in Dubai and we sat and had a coffee and talked about life and football.
“Then we gave him the opportunity to really look into the club and I’m so excited that he chose to come here. He had other options.
“I would say that being able to have that meeting was powerful. When you can look someone in the eye, you can have an honest conversation and you can create a relationship and I told him we could help him get back playing competitively and he can help us.
“It’s just a coincidence that he was at Bournemouth and was in the situation he was in. There’s nothing concrete yet on Bill Foley the investment.
“He was on a list of players who were coming out of contract and might be available for loan. Him and Myziane looked like they would be out of our reach. I’ll be honest with you about that.
“But we were patient. We felt if we could convince them, and if they could convince their clubs and their representatives, everyone would see this was the right move for them.”
Marcondes has earned a name for himself as a free kick specialist, so much so that he runs his own free kick school, which has expanded into Africa and Denmark. Montgomery thinks that trait will rub off on the young players coming through at Easter Road.
More crucially, it’s a weapon he knows has been missing from his first-team squad this season, with not a single goal scored directly from a free kick in his four months in charge.
Montgomery stated: “He was out there with Elie (Youan) today, taking free kicks. He’s had his own free-kick instructor throughout his career, and you can see the technique he does, so you attempt to emulate that.
“I’m sure he’s the type of player who would be content to stand outside with the little lads, even in the pouring rain, and take free kicks. Then, when it comes to games, he can stand up and deliver in key moments.
“We haven’t scored from a free kick yet, despite having a few tries. To be honest, having Martin Boyle gone doesn’t help because he excels at corners, which are an important aspect of the game.
“Having someone else who can deliver a ball with true venom will be helpful. Because we’ve got some serious height.”
Marcondes and Maolida are preparing for a baptism of fire against Gers tonight in Leith. Montgomery continued, “We’ve only lost one game at home, against Hearts in the 94th minute, when I thought we deserved something out of the game.”
“That’s one of those occasions, as I mentioned, when you need match winners. In those close games, the two guys I’ve brought in have the ability to win. “That is the plan.”
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