Tom Taiwo won't feature for Hibernian tomorrow.
He may well be glad of the respite.
The Easter Road club's new signing – he finalised a contract yesterday shortly after appearing in the official team photograph – has had an eventful, and at times tumultuous, career thus far with Hibs becoming his fifth senior club. He is still just 22.
The midfielder left Carlisle United in the summer and had been rumoured to be joining Hibs for some time. Taiwo had started his career at Leeds United but was the subject of a contentious move by Chelsea, who signed the precocious 16-year-old much to the chagrin of Ken Bates, the Leeds chairman. The signing carried the threat of legal action and Chelsea were eventually made to fork out £5m for the youngster, who was lured to Stamford Bridge alongside Leeds team-mate Michael Woods.
The net result was a broken leg on the eve of his Chelsea debut and his eventual departure from the club having never taken his competitive bow. A loan spell at Carlisle was then made permanent and he has now arrived in Scotland to help a club who have known disappointment themselves in recent seasons.
"We watched him a fair bit last year for Carlisle and he brings a bit of steel," said Pat Fenlon, the Hibs manager yesterday. "He's not the biggest and can pass the ball and get around the pitch. He's played a lot of games and, like Ryan [McGivern, signed on loan from Manchester City], he is in that age where they have experience but are still fairly young. He gives us a different dimension to Lewie [Stevenson] or Jorge [Claros]. We're delighted to get him."
In Fenlon, he has found a manager that will understand the pressures placed on his young shoulders earlier in his career. The Irishman was also a youth prospect at Stamford Bridge, and he is excited to see his new acquisition flourish in Leith.
"As a kid going there [to Chelsea], that's a bit of pressure," said Fenlon. "Even for his age, he has played a lot of games. I spoke to one or two of the lads down at Carlisle and they are disappointed to have lost him but said his performances were excellent. Until we get to January that is an end to business. We are pleased with the squad we have."
One player Fenlon has allowed to seek action elsewhere this season is Callum Booth, the young full-back who has joined Livingston on loan for the rest of the campaign. "I just want to get first-team action again, I've not played regularly for eight or nine months," said Booth.
"That's been too long, you train all week and want to play games. I got a new deal at Hibs and I was playing really well. I picked up an injury and [former manager Colin] Calderwood left and it was him I was getting a good run of games with.
"The new manager came in and he's got his own ideas and own plans and I kind of fell out of favour so there is no point in sitting about. [Fenlon] said I'm still in his long-term plans but I'm not really concentrating on that.
"My loan spells at Arbroath and Brechin helped me get into the Hibs team in the first place. Hopefully, I can come here for the year and go back a better player."
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