Hibernian reportedly bump up Josh Doig valuation after Celtic speculation

By David Walton

June 9, 2021

Hibernian have reportedly bumped up the valuation of Josh Doig after Celtic and others were linked with a move.

Back in January, Sky Sports claimed that the Hoops were interested in making a summer move. They also touted the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea as monitoring the youngster too.

In more recent times, Watford have been said to be in talks regarding a potential £4million for the starlet [Watford Observer]. This comes after a stunning breakthrough campaign in Leith in which Doig managed to make the SPFL Premiership Team of the Season. In addition to that, he also bagged the SFWA Young Player of the Year award as well as a Scotland under-21 call-up.

And it appears all of this may have affected Hibs’ own valuation of the player. Stephen McGowan reported in his Daily Mail column last month [print edition, 08/05, page 115], that Doig was up for grabs for as little as £1.2m. Chief Arsenal reporter for football.london, Chris Wheatley, appears to have heard different in recent times:

Celtic can do better for £5m; Hibernian valuation of Doig getting out of hand

Doig is certainly a prospect, but he has a long way to go before he’s a £5m player. Hibs may claim that the buying club is getting great potential, but it’ll be a while before Doig reaches that stage.

Not to mention the fact that the Hibbees want a sell-on clause in the deal too. If anyone was to agree to it, that would make Doig the Easter Road club’s record sale. But you have to imagine there’s some room for negotiation here.

John McGinn, perhaps the best Hibs player since Scott Brown, only went for £3m plus a sell-on fee [Birmingham Mail]. Doig hasn’t proven himself to be good enough yet to warrant a sum of £2m extra.

Josh Doig battles for Hibernian against St Johnstone (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

In fairness to Hibs, they haven’t come out and confirmed how much they want for Doig. Truthfully, they’ll want to keep him at Easter Road for as long as possible, so it’s not as if they’ll be welcoming offers.

Potentially tempting Hibs with the carrot of a loan return to Leith could help sway it in a certain club’s favour. However, if you’re paying even several million for him, especially at a club like Celtic, you want an instant return.

There comes a point where the price simply wouldn’t match what we’re getting. Doig can be a superstar one day, but he’s still far from that level. In the meantime, Celtic could do worse than scout Euro 2020 for potentially cheaper alternatives.

In other news, this Neil Lennon signing claims that he “forgot what it felt like to play football” at Celtic.