HIBERNIAN manager Mixu Paatelainen yesterday gave his strongest indication yet that he wants to bring former team-mate and fans' favourite Derek Riordan back to Easter Road.
The Celtic striker has been ostracised by manager Gordon Strachan and made to train with the youths after a public falling-out between the pair last season, and Riordan has been informed he has no future with the SPL champions.
However, the 25-yea
r-old has a year remaining on the contract he penned in moving to Glasgow from boyhood heroes Hibs a little over two years ago and this has so far proved a stumbling block in potential moves away from Parkhead
Owen Coyle's Burnley were reported to have had a £400,000 bid turned down for the former Scotland international in January, with Celtic said to be seeking a substantial transfer fee for a player who has started just 13 games for them in more than two seasons.
Riordan's agent, Jim McArthur, yesterday dismissed talk the player was ready to cross the Edinburgh football divide and join Hearts and indicated that, with suitors so far offering only loan deals, he expected his client to remain at Celtic beyond Monday's transfer deadline.
Hibs and Leeds United are understood to be the clubs keen to take the marksman on temporary contracts and, although Paatelainen refused to confirm or deny he had made such a move for his former colleague, he was willing to discuss the issue in some detail for the first time yesterday, when he also confirmed he now has money available in his search for a new striker.
"I like Deek, he is a fantastic footballer, and he is a goalscorer who did very well for Hibs when he was here," stressed the Finn.
"He is a Hibs fan, everybody knows that, but he is a Celtic player at this moment in time, so I can't really go too much into that. But I like goalscorers, every manager likes goalscorers.
"We are hoping to strengthen the strikers' department, so we want to make sure that whoever comes in is the right one. There are funds to bring in players, whether it's Riordan or somebody else we will have to wait to see."
Paatelainen will be keenly aware of Riordan's off-field image as a troublemaker, with reports circulating this week of him being banned for two years from every nightclub in the capital.
However, he clearly feels the man who netted 64 goals in 146 appearances for Hibs first time round could be the answer to his team's current profligacy in front of goal.
One of the guilty parties so far this season is Steven Fletcher, a major culprit as the Easter Road side exited the Co-operative Insurance Cup to First Division strugglers Morton on Tuesday night.
The 21-year-old suffered another blow to his early-season confidence when he was demoted to the Scotland Under-21s for the forthcoming internationals after being included in the last three squads picked by George Burley for the full team.
However, Paatelainen, who believes his star striker is ready to play at the top level for his nation, insists the youngster's overall play means he is not overly concerned by Fletcher's goalless opening to the campaign.
"It's not a worry that Steven Fletcher hasn't clicked yet," he said. "I would rather have him scoring now but the goals will come for him.
"He's working so hard and that's something we highlighted from Tuesday night. What a tremendous game he had, his movement and work rate, and getting into the positions to score goal were excellent.
"I think he needs a tap-in and hopefully then the ketchup bottle opens.
"He is a finisher, there's no question about that. In training he finishes regularly and at the moment it's just not happening for him. But we have spoken to Fletch and it will come."
The full article contains 662 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
