Can Hibs help Rabbi Matondo rediscover his Cercle Brugge days?

Can Hibs help Rabbi Matondo rediscover his Cercle Brugge days? Rabbi Matondo is reportedly set to sign a contract with Hibs . The former Rangers winger had been a free agent since leaving Norwegian side Brann and now looks set for a new home. Once a highly rated youngster, the 26-year-old has struggled to live up to the hype. However, there was one club where Matondo made a name for himself. This club was Cercle Brugge. Back in the summer of 2021, Cercle Brugge brought Matondo in from Schalke on loan for the season. Matondo had just come off a loan spell with Stoke, where he had scored once in 11 games for the club. He had struggled since joining Schalke in 2019 to live up to the hype surrounding him as a youngster at Manchester City. The talent was clearly there, with Schalke giving him his debut early on in his time with the club. Yet it was the loan spell at Cercle Brugge that really helped Matondo discover his confidence. With a young Cercle squad under the management of first Yves Vanderhaeghe and then Domonik Thalhammer, Matondo flourished. In the high pressing style that the club wanted to operate, Matondo was a real asset. In 27 games for the club he scored 10 goals and provided two assists, numbers that remain the best of his career to this date. It was his time at Cercle Brugge that earned Matondo the move to Rangers. In hindsight, this was probably not the best move for the young forward at the time, but it is hard to turn down a club that has the size and stature of Rangers. His first season perhaps indicated that the pressure is high on new signings at Rangers, with Matondo going goalless in 28 games. His second season was a better one, with six goals and three assists in 31. However, by the third, Matondo was not considered a future Rangers player, with a loan spell to Hannover and a release from his contract coming soon after. This allowed Matondo to join Bergen based Brann, but he only played three games for the side. Now, Matondo gets to join a Hibs side that have created a link to Belgian football. Former Beveren head coach Marink Reedijk has taken over during the international break. Reedjik had great success in Belgian football, leading Beveren to an unbeaten promotion from the second tier. He appears to be a decent bet to get the best out of Matondo for Hibs. Hopefully, under Reedijk, Matondo can rediscover the form he showed a few seasons ago with Cercle Brugge. GBeNeFN  |  Ben Jackson