Inside Emiliano Marcondes to Hibs transfer coup as deal sparked by chance Nick Montgomery meeting in Dubai

Nick Montgomery was convinced a player of Emiliano Marcondes’ quality would have been out of Hibs’ reach. Yet, as fortune would have it, the Bournemouth playmaker was right under his nose in Dubai this month as the Hibees went through their winter training camp.

Montgomery has revealed how he struck it lucky in the City of Gold after being put in touch with the former Denmark U21 international as he topped up his fitness levels with a clutch of Premier League stars including Jesse Lingard in the UAE earlier this month.

That chance meeting led to a chat over a cup of coffee and, after some due diligence on all things Leith, the 28-year-old was convinced to swap the bright lights of the Premier League for a crack at the Premiership. Montgomery landed Marcondes on a loan deal until the end of the season on Monday and was keen to stress it is entirely unconnected to Cherries’ owner Bill Foley’s impending 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