After months of speculation the news broke last weekend that Ryan Porteous won’t be signing a new contract at Hibernian, with the 23-year-old opting instead to look elsewhere in the next stage of his career.
While some supporters are annoyed he’s not signing a new deal – to give the club the chance to command a decent transfer fee when he does move on – the news that he’s on his way out of Easter Road isn’t too surprising given the length of time which has passed since Porteous was reportedly offered a new deal.
The confirmation came from Lee Johnson and the club following Saturday’s friendly defeat against Middlesbrough, where Rocky Bushiri and Will Fish started in the heart of the defence in a back four. Porteous played a small part in the second half, coming on for the injured Josh Campbell to play a cameo role in the centre of midfield.
The situation leaves the club with two options: sell Porteous in the upcoming January transfer window to earn something in the way of a fee or keep him at the club until the end of the season and allow him will leave on a free transfer.
Whether he sees out the rest of the season or not, following Saturday’s showing it’s safe to say he won’t get much game time in midfield.
As a fan, and considering the character Ryan Porteous appears to be, it would be hoped and expected that he would continue to give his all for the club for as long as he remains a Hibernian player, but there’s an element of human nature that may mean he starts to turn his attention to his next challenge if he stays in Leith until the end of the current campaign.
Lee Johnson has spoken to the press this week saying he has no worries about Porteous’ commitment and his ability to continue in the side despite his future lying elsewhere, but in reality there will be doubts regardless of what the manager says publicly.
It would likely be better for both parties if Porteous moves on for a fee, albeit one smaller than anticipated, in January but the club will be left with a job on their hands to find a replacement who will have the impact on the starting XI Ryan Porteous has had in recent years during the ever-frantic January transfer window.
The departure of the Scotland international will leave Lee Johnson with Rocky Bushiri, Paul Hanlon, Will Fish and Darren McGregor as options at centre half so it’s clear the first team is going to need to find a suitable alternative should Porteous depart in January.
Will Fish may be called upon to step into the side – and given some of our defensive performances so far this season it’s only fair that the big Manchester United loanee is given a chance to prove his worth – but we would still be an injury or suspension away from being really short in defence.
Looking towards the Development Team – Kanayo Megwa has impressed for the wee Hibees at centre half this season and a couple of strong performances in the UEFA Youth League led to his first team debut during Saturday’s friendly with Boro.
The young Englishman was signed from Brooke House Football Academy in the summer of 2021 and he has been a part of the U18 side which has experienced success in the year or so since his arrival.
The harsh reality is that we’ve needed a strong, dependable centre back for a long time.
With Paul Hanlon moving into the twilight of his career, Darren McGregor semi-retired and Porteous always likely to depart, this moment has been a long time coming and it’s one we should have been better prepared for.
Lee Johnson has spoken recently about players moving on and pathways appearing for the young players at the club, and it may be Ryan Porteous’ departure which leads to an opportunity developing for someone like Megwa, but given the direction the season is going in at the moment it would be surprising if Fish and Megwa were relied upon to fill the gap left by Ryan Porteous for the rest of the season.
With that said, Johnson is keen to trim down his squad so there’s a chance we may see Porteous depart in January and no one recruited as a direct replacement with an eye on creating a smaller first team group.
Johnson was also fairly outspoken in his post-match comments at the weekend about the fact he believes Ryan Porteous should have been offered a new contract 2.5 years ago, with the player still on the same contract he was on after breaking into the first team in 2018.
The situation raises a few questions behind the scenes around why it was allowed to get to this point with Porteous a regular in and around the first team for a long time now.
There has been a considerable change in the wage structure and playing budget at Easter Road since Porteous’ last contract in 2018 and by all accounts the club did all they could to entice him to stay, but it does seem a touch too little too late now.
What’s important is that the club are not left exposed in a situation where there’s a player in the first team who would rather be elsewhere and is set to leave for free.
Supporters will wish Porteous well wherever he ends up and will keep a keen eye on his career as it progresses, but no one is bigger than the club and it’s important we move on from this with as little difficulty as possible.
On the whole it’s a hugely disappointing situation. We are going to lose one of our best defenders and he’s going to leave for far less than we might have expected to get for him. Additionally, there’s going to be a loss of a Hibs fan from the dressing room, someone who knows what it means to wear the shirt, and a huge gap in our back line.
With Martin Boyle ruled out for the rest of the season and the squad sitting in the bottom six, January was already going to be pivotal. It might now be even bigger.
The East Stand 
Thanks for a good balanced contribution
LikeLike
Gutted he is leaving Hibs but totally understand he is at that point in his career.He has matured so much over last couple of years. Good luck Ryan. Our loss is Watford’s gain.
LikeLike
I think it would be best if we could move Ryan on in January . I would have liked him to sign a deal however I wish him well as long as he doesn’t head along the M8. We are in a mess as a club at present and are likely to be drawn into a relegation battle. We must recruit well in January and dispose of the deadwood. GGTTH💚
LikeLike