Josef Bursik was 'adamant' he wanted to join Hibs after learning of interest from Easter Road.

The 23-year-old goalkeeper has signed on loan from Club Brugge until the end of the season, and becomes the first arrival of the David Gray era. Following David Marshall's retirement earlier this month, adding a new option between the sticks was among the top priorities for the new head coach and sporting director Malky Mackay, and they've now kickstarted what looks set to be a busy summer.

Bursik, an England youth international, left Stoke City for Belgium in January 2023 to join ex-Bournemouth manager Scott Parker on the continent, but his five appearances for Brugge came only for the second team and, after recovering from injury, he was keen to seek out first-team football.

“I’m really happy to be here," Bursik told Hibs TV. "It took a couple of weeks to get it done, but as soon as I heard of the interest, I was adamant I wanted to come. We got it done and I’m really happy to be here.

“I played a lot of games at a young age and really pushed to go out on loan because I knew how important minutes were at that age. Ultimately that helped me get my chance with England and then at Stoke. 

“It was a tough decision to leave Stoke, but I went to Belgium and didn’t really feature as much as I’d have liked. I played a load of games for the second team after recovering from my injury, so playing-wise I’m in a good place and mentally I’ve learnt a lot.  Now is a good time for me to come in, kick on, get back playing and enjoying myself; I have missed playing a lot.”

Bursik says extended conversations with Mackay helped him gain valuable understanding of Hibs - and the challenges that await. He credits those talks as being key to solidifying his desire to move to Edinburgh, insisting he wants to help the club bounce back strongly from a bitterly disappointing 2023/24 campaign.

“I spoke to Malky (Mackay) quite a bit over the last few weeks and he really sold the club to me," said the goalkeeper. "We spoke about the size of the club, the big games that the club are involved in, and that we want to do better than we did last season; it’s something I wanted to be a part of. 

READ MORE: Hibs complete Bursik loan deal and weigh up defender move

“He was positive about the way I’ve played and that I could come here and enjoy myself; that’s the most important thing for me, to come here, enjoy my football and ultimately help the team.”

Bursik joined first-team training on Monday, and it is hoped more new faces will follow before the club embark on a pre-season camp in the Netherlands next week. In an exclusive interview earlier this month, Mackay confirmed to the Hibs Observer that multiple centre-backs were being targeted this summer, and it's understood free agent Warren O'Hora is on the club's radar. Preparations for the new campaign will step up this weekend as Hibs make the short trip to Meadowbank to take on Edinburgh City on Saturday.