Hibs are set to draft in Bournemouth’s head of recruitment analysis Garvan Stewart to spearhead a rebuild of the club’s first-team squad.
The move comes after the Easter Road board last night handed a vote of confidence to under-fire boss David Gray.
With Hibs bottom of the Premiership after one win in 12 games, the club hierarchy have vowed to work with major shareholder and Bournemouth owner Bill Foley and his Black Knight Football group to deliver improvement on the pitch.
Seventeen players are out of contract this summer, and plans are taking shape to revamp the squad.
Mail Sport understands that current Bournemouth analyst Stewart has been offered a key role using data to identify new signings following criticism of the club’s transfer dealings in recent years.
Pressure built on Gray following Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to St Mirren and, addressing speculation over his future, Hibs released a statement which read: ‘We are disappointed with the poor start to our current season like all Hibernian supporters.
Hibs manager David Gray has been given a vote of confidence in a statement by the club
‘Following the weekend’s result, we have held discussions as a group addressing how we move forward.
‘We continue to work tirelessly in our quest to improve our performance and achieve the results we need on the pitch.
‘Through this challenging time, we support our head coach David Gray and his management team. All departments are under pressure to deliver.
‘We recognise that this is a hard time for our supporters, and we know we can do better. Together, with Black Knight Football, we are working hard to make that happen.’
Hibs’ hierarchy have vowed to work with major shareholder and Bournemouth owner Bill Foley
Hibs will give a key role to Garvan Stewart, who worked with Eddie Howe at Bournemouth
Foley’s Black Knight Football group purchased a 25 per cent stake in Hibs for £6million in March.
The Texan billionaire, whose multi-club network includes Auckland and Lorient, was unhappy that his input in key decisions had been ignored at Easter Road and hosted clear-the-air talks with Hibs director Ian Gordon and chief executive Ben Kensell in Las Vegas last month.
Discussions over a senior role for Stewart are the first sign of Foley flexing his muscles.
Irishman Stewart worked for the Welsh FA and Cardiff City as a performance analyst before moving to Portsmouth, then Bournemouth – where he moved into recruitment analysis.
A 2-0 win over St Johnstone on September 14 marked the last time Hibs won a Premiership match, and club executives have now opened a weekly dialogue with president of Black Knight Football group Tim Bezbatchenko as they seek ways to arrest the slump and drag the team away from the foot of the table.
