Why Jordan Obita's new Hibs contract is well deserved

Tentative discussions around Hibs' player of the year rarely pass without the left-back being namedropped, and on Monday his form was rewarded with a new contract, keeping him at Easter Road until 2026. It's a smart piece of business, tying down an experienced player who likely wouldn't be short of an offer or two back in England before long.

At 30, Obita likely won't be one to make Hibs a significant profit, but they would be hard pushed to happen upon as dependable and experienced a full-back any time soon. Arriving last summer from Wycombe Wanderers to relatively little fanfare, Obita has gone about his business with quiet efficiency, and it's little wonder Nick Montgomery was keen to secure his future as he looks towards the summer.

Before we delve into anything deeper, Obita's value has been significantly heightened by his near-constant availability. He has been fit and ready for 27 of Hibs' 30 Premiership matches this season to date, and played in 26. He's up to 37 appearances in all competitions, and is Hibs' third most used outfield player behind only Will Fish and captain Joe Newell.

Such robustness becomes all the more important to a manager contending with an injury list the length of his arm, as Montgomery was for much of the first half of the campaign. Getting out of that trench relies on a resilient few able to last the course week after week, and Obita has been there for his manager - including deputising at centre-back when defensive options plummeted to an all-time low.

And when he's on the pitch, he covers some serious ground.

Montgomery wants his full-backs to get up and down, and it takes a player with an engine to fulfil those demands, but as the heatmap above shows, Obita covers almost the entire left flank. The switch to a midfield three in January has also been to his benefit, allowing him to get higher up the pitch without fear of being caught in transition.

Having a covering midfielder on hand has allowed Obita to cultivate a good understanding with Myziane Maolida, who likes to drift into inside pockets while his full-back holds the width. 

Obita is a consistent threat when moving into the final third, and his deep cross is a weapon Hibs have not taken advantage of enough this season. Reviewing footage from various matches, though, suggests that's not entirely down to him. Obita consistently hits good areas with his deliveries, but there's not always been a green and white jersey there to apply the finish, or the resulting shot has missed the target. The example below, taken from the goalless draw with Celtic in October, showcases his ability to unleash an early delivery and Hibs being unable to convert. His swerving cross takes several Celtic defenders out of the game, but Martin Boyle is just unable to direct it on target.

It will no doubt frustrate Obita that he is yet to register an assist this season (his xA is 0.05), but that's not entirely his fault. He has proven himself an effective outlet on the ball, and rarely surrenders possession - 0.76 turnovers per-90 minutes far outperforms the league average of 1.70. For someone who likes to carry the ball at his feet, it's impressive how little he loses it.

That undoubtedly contributes to his high On-Ball Value for dribbles and carries (0.09) compared to the league average (0.07) - and this basically means his ability to travel with the ball has aided significantly in Hibs creating chances and scoring goals.

Going the other way, he's been just as reliable, winning 63.2 per cent of his defensive duels, on average, according to Wyscout. StatsBomb also measures a player's tackle/dribbled past percentage to offer a more detailed insight into their defending. This metric reveals how often a player makes a tackle compared to how often they are dribbled past when going into a duel, with Obita coming out on top 89 per cent of the time.

It also feels safe to assert, even more so after he signed fresh terms, that Hibs have finally found the man to replace Lewis Stevenson. Josh Doig would have been the long-term heir at left-back had he not been tempted to Serie A, with Marijan Cabraja then arriving and departing Easter Road in the space of just one season. But Obita's emergence has now taken the burden off the now 36-year-old Stevenson, who has made only nine league starts this campaign, compared to 15 in 2022/23. 

Obita will turn 31 in December, so while he's perhaps not quite the long, long term answer at left-back, his form this season indicates the position could be his to lose over, at least, the next few years. He is certainly worthy of the new contract, one which will only enhance his status in a team that will require leaders as it undergoes an inevitable transition this summer.

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Among those out of contract are Stevenson, Paul Hanlon, and David Marshall, which is rather a lot of experience to, potentially, lose in a single summer. Solidifying Obita's status as an important member of the squad moving forward becomes all the more important, and ensures a source of continuity through an impending summer of change.

Hibs have lacked consistency in so many ways this season; results, performances, availability have all fluctuated, wildly at times. That's where Obita - a pillar of 'reliability and consistency', according to Montgomery - becomes almost indispensable.