In an era where few transfers are ever kept entirely under wraps, a surprise signing is an all-too-rare joy for football fans.

The Hibs support was caught pleasantly off-guard on Tuesday with the arrival of Nicky Cadden, twin brother of Chris. Not only does his capture add some much-needed depth on the left side of the pitch, it continues Hibs' brotherly tradition, one upheld in recent years by the McGinns and Hendersons. Those signings delivered varying levels of success, but the current hope is that the new Cadden twin can provide a different dimension to Hibs' attack, as well as some always-welcome versatility.

Here, we take a closer look at what the 27-year-old can offer David Gray's side.

Background

After a spell at Motherwell as a teenager, Cadden joined Airdrieonians in 2012, making his professional debut a year later. Three seasons and 43 appearances later, he moved to Livingston in time for their rapid rise from League One to the Scottish Premiership. Cadden was loaned to Ayr United for the 2018/19 season but made only ten appearances.

He then joined Greenock Morton in a permanent deal a year later, a move that gave his career a jolt with 30 appearances and ten goals. His form attracted interest from England, and Cadden eventually made the switch south to Forest Green Rovers in EFL League Two. Again impressive over two seasons - including a league title win in 2021/22 - he was snapped up by League One Barnsley, and made over 90 appearances across the last two campaigns before departing at the end of his contract.

Key stats/style of play

What's immediately striking about Cadden is his consistent availability. He featured in all 46 of Barnsley's league matches last season, starting 40. In 2022/23, he managed 39 outings. In 2021/22, it was 44. He's a player who rarely misses matches, and is not often troubled by injury. Before going so far as to assess strengths and weaknesses, those numbers will have caught Gray's eye as he attempts to reshape a squad that has had more than its fair share of fitness issues recently. 

Stylistically, he seems to be a throwback to a more old-school winger. The heatmap below shows Cadden, at least at Barnsley, sticks faithfully to the left flank, whether that be through natural preference or tactical instruction.

From that left side, he's direct in his play, and attempts a high volume of crosses. In 2023/24, he averaged 4.63 attempted deliveries per 90 minutes, the 13th most overall in League One, according to Wyscout. Their rankings in this instance aren't adjusted for minutes played, and it would be no surprise if he featured even higher compared solely with players who also accrued significant minutes. A 29% crossing completion may look low, but high crosses are among the lowest success rate attacking actions, and Cadden's is a fair return when accounting for the number attempted. Bear in mind, even crosses which do not initially find a team-mate can disrupt defences in second phases.

The eye test certainly shows he is capable of excellent deliveries. In the example below from last season, he receives the ball roughly in line with the edge of the centre circle and is quickly closed down. A quick drop of the shoulder, however, is enough to leave his man trailing.

Advancing into the final third, Cadden's first thought is to deliver early, and he picks out an advancing team-mate at the back post from a considerable distance away.

He seems to specialise in those whipped deliveries which can cause havoc in the box, as opposed to more lofted crosses which defenders find easier to deal with. He can mix it up, too. In the example below, he provides the assist for an onrushing striker first-time at the near post instead of simply looking for an area to hit.

Cadden was also Barnsley's designated set-piece taker, a responsibility he could now take on at Hibs, who were not a particularly significant threat from dead balls for much of last season.

He's not been a prolific goalscorer off the flanks, by any means, notching three in all competitions last term, and six the year before. Unsurprisingly, though, he does possess a powerful shot. In the example below, Cadden finds himself on the right side, drawing a defender towards him before a quick change of direction opens the space for a powerful effort into the far top corner.

Positionally, Cadden has deputised as a left-back, although on relatively few occasions compared to playing as an out-and-out winger. His arrival, though, could give Gray the tools to better deploy the 352 we've seen at times already this season. Cadden has the skillset to occupy the wing-back role, and arriving onto the ball in the final third could suit his ability and tendency to cross early.

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When Gray has moved to the back three he has included Lewis Miller, a full-back, as one of the trio. Jordan Obita showed last season that he, too, can adapt to that role, and it may even be a preferable alternative to putting Miller in there, given doing so comes at the expense of maximising his power and athleticism up and down the right wing.

It's difficult to truly predict the impact a player will have, but Cadden feels like another acquisition to put into the 'solid and sensible' bracket - one that will increase the broader quality of the Hibs squad. The challenge for the winger will be to show he can go beyond that to become indispensable for his team and manager.