Hibernian are still on the hunt for a new head coach but they may well be watching on with interest following the appointment of Tiago Pinto as AFC Bournemouth's new president of football operations, given the Easter Road side's place in Cherries owner Bill Foley's multi-club stable along with French side Lorient and A-League expansion side Auckland in New Zealand. 

The English Premier League side have moved quickly to announce a successor to former Scotland internationalist Richard Hughes, who starts work as Liverpool's new sporting director next week, when Pinto is set to start his new role at the Vitality Stadium. 

READ MORE - Hibs shareholder Bill Foley reveals what drives his investments

The 39-year-old Pinto's arrival into the Black Knights network could have a knock-on effect for the other clubs. Auckland have a head of football and head of recruitment working above a head coach and assistant head coach, Lorient have a similar arrangement with a general director and sports coordinator between the manager and president and Hibs, as we know, have appointed Malky Mackay as sporting director while Brian McDermott, previously the capital club's director of football, has moved into a more recruitment-centric role with his previous position being swallowed up by the creation of the new role for Mackay. 

“We’re excited to bring Tiago to the club. Neill and Simon have worked closely with him on a number of deals in recent seasons and have always been very impressed by him. Tiago arrives with great experience at some high-profile clubs already in his young career. Hiring somebody with his background reinforces the ambition that we have to succeed in the Premier League and in our multi-club project," Foley told afcb.co.uk as part of the announcement confirming Pinto's appointment. 

While Foley has dismissed the notion of eventually presiding over a network comparable in size to the sprawling City Football Group (13 clubs owned and another three in partnership arrangements), he was recently linked with a takeover of Belgian side Standard Liege and may feel another one or two clubs in the Black Knight structure can be beneficial for all. 

Pinto added: "I’m very happy to be joining AFC Bournemouth during such an exciting time for the club. I would like to express my gratitude to Bill, Neill and Simon. The vision that they have laid out to me is something that I can’t wait to be a part of.

“I look forward to getting to work over the summer as we prepare for the new season.”

Who is Tiago Pinto?

Born in Peso de Régua, a town on the Douro River east of Porto, Pinto grew up supporting Benfica but didn't embark on the familiar route of a professional football career followed by a move into coaching or management. Instead, he attended the University of Porto where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in pedagogy and a Master's in Economics and Human Resources. He began a teaching career and came to Benfica's attention when officials were impressed by him during a general assembly meeting, and he was invited to join the club, and was appointed director of football in 2017.

During his time at the Estádio da Luz, he earned plaudits for rejigging the football structure and fast-tracking promising academy players such as Manchester City defender Rúben Dias and Atlético Madrid attacker João Félix into the first team. On top of that, the multi-sport club tasted success in football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, handball, and roller hockey during his tenure. 

It was enough to prompt Roma to make a move for him towards the end of 2020. Impressed at how he had advanced Benfica, i giallorossi chiefs felt Pinto was the ideal man to set about bringing an end to the club's fallow years on the trophy front. As well as luring José Mourinho to the Eternal City, Pinto presided over the club's victory in the inaugural Europa Conference League and run to the Europa League final, as well as sorting out the club's finances.

He was on the shortlist as a potential replacement for Dan Ashworth at Newcastle United and was also linked with succeeding Fabio Paratici at Tottenham Hotspur. In short, Pinto is a man in demand, and for good reason.

During a wide-ranging interview with i, Pinto discussed his philosophy for success at football clubs. 

“I’m not the guy who goes into a club and says, ‘Fire everyone and appoint people I want’. That’s not my style, I prefer to go in and learn first. A club is better if there’s a peaceful environment, everyone’s aligned," he said. 

Pinto laid out the key areas that must be in place to help a club be as successful as possible. 

  • First-team scouts should know the academy players inside out. There is no point in signing a teenage player from overseas if there is someone with the same potential within the academy - homegrown players are vital for a club's DNA and to aid in economic stability
  • Marginal gains are key. The teams that win more are the teams that focus on the details: nutrition, sleep, sports psychology, travel, quality of training pitches etc. 
  • The internal alignment of the coach, the board, and all the departments at the club is vital. 'The more united we are, the closer we are to success'.

What does it mean for Hibs?

It all sounds very straightforward and it's important to stress that Pinto will be working most closely with Bournemouth as the main club in the group. But given Hibs' place in the Black Knight structure, there will surely be room for best practices to be shared between the member clubs - particularly given Lorient's relegation to Ligue 2, another disappointing season for Hibs, and the maiden A-League campaign for Auckland.

Foley has repeatedly stressed his desire for Bournemouth to be a 'destination, not a stepping stone' for players and while that process will inevitably take time to come to fruition, it is surely in the best interests of Bournemouth and Black Knight FC as a whole that every team in the network is performing well and can benefit from the network in terms of recruitment, infrastructure, and more. 

It might be wise not to expect a money-spinning summer of change in EH7. But the appointment of Pinto to such a key role in the group could have as-yet-unknown benefits for Hibs - it wouldn't be hard, for example, to imagine semi-regular meetings involving Pinto and the respective sporting directors at the other clubs in the group with a view to helping each club perform as well as they can on and off the park. 

One of the enduring criticisms of Hibs in recent seasons has been that those at the top haven't covered themselves in glory on a number of fronts, and this summer could be pivotal for a club that, on the field at least, hasn't been one thing or the other since Jack Ross was relieved of his duties.

We are still yet to learn how exactly the arrangement will work. Chief executive Ben Kensell stated at February's AGM that Hibs would have the final say over all transfers and football-related activity and won't merely turn into Bournemouth reserves. But it's also vital that Hibs get it right this summer, and having the support of a multi-club network headed up by someone with Pinto's track record of success could be a difference-maker.