BY DARREN JOHNSTONE – Capital City Press
Rotherham and Wigan have stepped up their interest in Scott Allan after Rangers had a third bid rejected for the talented Hibs midfielder.
The Glasgow club had a £275,000 offer knocked back yesterday, having already been unsuccessful with separate approaches of £175,000 and £225,000.
Although both English sides have not yet tabled formal bids for the 23-year-old, their respective interest in Allan has grown since the player handed in a transfer request last Tuesday.
Allan is desperate to force through a move to boyhood heroes Rangers but the Leith outfit are steadfastly refusing to sell the former Dundee United and West Brom playmaker to a club that is expected to be their biggest rivals for this season’s Championship title.
It is understood that Allan has no desire to move to either Championship side Rotherham or League One Wigan, teams managed respectively by Scotsmen Steve Evans and Gary Caldwell.
Evans said yesterday: “Any transfer business we do will remain confidential between the clubs.
“From a distance, one wonders why news of clubs bidding and not bidding gets out. We will not do that. We will deal directly with Hibernian should we pursue any interest in Scott Allan.”
Allan – last season’s Championship Player of the Year, faced Wigan for 45 minutes during pre-season when both teams were based at the La Manga sports resort in Spain at the start of July.
The player, who has come off the bench in Hibs’ first two competitive games of the season against Rangers and Montrose in the Petrofac Training Cup and League Cup respectively, is in the final year of his deal at Easter Road and will be free to speak to other clubs in January.
Hibs head coach Alan Stubbs, meanwhile, has been handed a triple injury boost after forwards James Keatings, Danny Carmichael and Martin Boyle all returned to training at the start of the week.
Summer recruits Keatings and Carmichael are yet to make their debuts after being hampered by hamstring and groin problems respectively.
Boyle, who signed a permanent deal during the close-season after initially joining on loan for the second half of last term, is stepping up his comeback bid after undergoing knee surgery.
Stubbs, whose side begin their Championship campaign away to Dumbarton on Saturday, said: “We started to introduce James Keatings and Danny Carmichael to training at the start of the week, a little bit of that was Boyle as well.
“So the three of them were introduced although they’re at different stages.
“They’ll get stronger and better as the days go by. From that point of view in terms of numbers and players adding to the squad, it’s positive.”
Speaking to Hibs TV, Stubbs added: “I’m delighted for them and the fans because they have not been in a position that they have seen the new signings.
“The most important is that they’re over their injuries and back with the squad.”
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