Lee Johnson appears to confirm interest in taking Bailey Wright to Hibs

Hibs manager Lee Johnson has appeared to have confirmed his interest in signing Bailey Wright from Sunderland.

The Black Cats would be open to allowing Wright to leave this month, and Johnson has managed the Australian before twice before at Bristol City and Sunderland.

And, when asked about the his reported interest in another reunion with Wright, Johnson gave the stock answer of a manager who definitely wants a player.

“Bails has been my captain twice at two different clubs,” Johnson said. “He’s a good player. Unfortunately I can’t talk about it because he’s not my player, he’s a Sunderland player.

Hibs are sixth in the SPL table as it stands, although they have struggled defensively this season. In fact, only second bottom Kilmarnock have conceded more goals than Lee Johnson’s side.

That has left the former Sunderland boss frustrated, and he wants to make sure any new signings can make an immediate difference.

"We will take the best possible players for the best possible price,” he said. “We are looking for players who can hit the ground running.

“You don’t want to spend six to eight weeks trying to get someone fit. It’s not an easy window to get that. If you are taking someone off a subs’ bench who’s been idle for a while, or a young player who’s maybe not experienced the tempo, or an older player who needs a consistent flow of games then that’s a bit delicate for any club in this window.

“We need instant impact, not six to eight weeks.”

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