SPFL Scouting Report Summer 2016

Every year, I take a spin through the top targets, movers and departures from the SPFL Premiership and the upper end of the Championship. Thanks to the Narey’s Toepoker site who have an up to date list of contracts for some of the data used in this piece, transfermarkt for contract expiries outside of the SPFL Premiership. Players have been scouted via the Wyscout platform used by the club’s themselves.

To go alphabetically through the top tier first of all…

Aberdeen

Out of Contract Players

Aaron Lennox, Scott Brown, David Goodwillie, Barry Robson



It’s fairly safe to say none of these will be kept on. Barry Robson is 37, David Goodwillie has been shipped out on loan and seems done and Scott Brown is just not good enough.

Sales?

Unlikely. Jonny Hayes has admirers but a combination of age and the amount of time on his contract would mean any buyer would need to pay through the nose for him. The other prized assets would be Graeme Shinnie and Adam Rooney but there is little suggestion either are linked anywhere.

Incoming?

Come the summer, Aberdeen will not have a single senior goalkeeper on the books so the biggest priority is fixing that. Hamilton’s Michael McGovern is out of contract and would do a job although there would be real doubt of him being title challenger quality on a consistent basis. McInnes likes to shop in England for goalkeepers and would be looking for a higher class of Keeper than Scott Brown (who came from League Two) - out of contract possibilities would include Matt Gilks and Chris Kirkland. Both are vastly experienced but frozen out in the English Championship yet undoubtedly have the class to be very effective at SPFL level. It would give the Dons a good keeper for two seasons giving them time to find a longer term solution without the pressure of needing it now because of weakness in the position. Scott Brown came to the club as a decent English League Two goalkeeper - it is clear that an upgrade on that is needed, even if it does cost more. Should McInnes wish to continue with the League Two keepers, then Mark Gillespie of Carlisle would be the obvious pick - he has previously been in the England U21 ranks before his career stalled due to injury and managerial changes. Now with a good season behind him, he is ready to step up to the next level. All these keepers are out of contract in June.

Centre back is also an area for concern but it does not need the full first XI replacement goalkeeper and right back do.

Midfield is a more obvious job but one that requires a transfer fee. Aberdeen need John McGinn. Their midfield is already good but it’s hard to deny that, when the side sees the best left back in the league shifted to midfield as cover every other week, it needs one extra top class player. Steven Lawless of Partick Thistle has been linked but it’s hard to see how he would drastically improve the side. However, assembling a midfield three of Jack, McGinn and McLean would be the stuff of many people’s dreams and would start to be looked on as the base around which a title challenge can be made for not just this season, but the next few seasons to come. McGinn would, however, cost and would represent likely the first non-Celtic/Rangers purchase above £500k since Laryea Kingston signed for Hearts.

Up front, it becomes slightly harder to know what will happen. For one, they will welcome Lawrence Shankland back after a loan spell at St Mirren in which he scored 1 in 3 in a poor side which will give them a decent option from the bench. However, it’d be folly to think that an extra striker won’t be added if only for depth alone. Aberdeen have a small first team squad and have the money to add depth and they surely must. Someone like David Amoo from Partick Thistle who can offer a threat from the wing and up front would fit this template well and the club have been one of many linked with Pars hotshot Faisal El Bakhtaoui.

Celtic

Out of Contract players

Charlie Mulgrew (James Forrest’s ends in December)

Given that the decision will be made by the new manager, it’s hard to say for certain Mulgrew’s future but he has been making sounds about going to England and it’s hard to imagine anyone would stand in his way. As for James Forrest, he is also very likely to go south this window.

Sales?

The caveat of there being a new manager almost doesn’t apply here given the sheer scale of the facelift required to the squad. Saleable talents that won’t be herded out of the door like cattle solely consist of Nir Bitton and Kieran Tierney.

Bitton will likely move anyway and has been linked with a £10m move to the EPL proving that they don’t know the value of anything. As for Tierney, he has been scouted by several EPL clubs but it is unlikely that any move will materialise this summer given that the Celtic board can ill afford to antagonise their support further.

Tierney, along with a couple of other players, will start next season at Celtic with little doubt but everyone else is fair game. That list of safe players likely goes Tierney, Christie, Gordon, Simunovic, Rogic, Griffiths and that’s about it.

This leaves twenty six players who are under contract next season but whose future is in doubt. Some players will likely see the club just attempt to cancel their contracts (Cole, Kazim-Richards, Izaguirre, Ciftci), some are making motions to leave already (Johansen, Bitton), some just plain aren’t good enough (Boyata, Ambrose, Gary Mackay-Steven), some have all but disappeared from the face of the earth (Allen, Armstrong, Janko) and some are over the hill (Brown, Lustig). It’s a bit of a mess, to be blunt, and any new manager will oversee a LOT of player turnover.

Incoming?

In spite of the managerless and rudderless state of the club at the moment, scouting continues unabated.

Tino-Sven Susic, tipped for a move to Celtic on this site two years ago, has been extensively scouted. He would slot into the side as a direct replacement for Scott Brown given he is equally comfortable challenging for the ball and attacking, increasing his production season by season to the stage where he has grabbed 11 league goals this season from the midfield and also 10 yellow cards - the term “all-action” certainly applies to him.

Also viewed has been Bruno Formaroli of Melbourne City - Formaroli has thrived in the A League after seeing his chances limited in Europe and seeing his pay limited in Uruguay. The first man to ever score over 20 in a single A League season, Formaroli is a scorer of some simply divine goals and has made it known he wishes to depart Australia after a single season. With an Italian passport, eligibility isn’t an issue, nor is price, as he is now in his late twenties, and the thought of him lining up with better players around him in an attacking side is little short of mouth watering and would be the closest thing to a direct heir to Lubo Moravcik as exists in football today.

Domestically, it is hard to see Celtic raiding other SPFL clubs. Of the real need positions, there is only Callum Paterson at Hearts where you would say that an SPFL player would be the better option than shopping outside of the league.

This still leaves a Centre back, two midfield slots and also a significant dollop of depth to be added to the squad.

The centre back issue is an interesting one given that, if Celtic can get Simunovic and Sviatchenko out on the pitch at the same time, they will have the makings of a top class centre back partnership. As such, any purchase would have to be solid but prepared to wait for a chance and that could mean a Celtic Park return for Kelvin Wilson. Out of contract in the summer, Wilson was nothing if not solid and consistent once he found his feet at the club and would give Celtic a reliable option - something Dedryck Boyata and Efe Ambrose don’t do.

In midfield, Haris Duljevic of FK Sarajevo would make an interesting signing. Highly talented but also frustrating, there is a £10m player in him if it can be brought out consistently - as things stand, he is regularly scouted by many European clubs (of which Celtic have been one) and has broken into the Bosnian national side - no mean feat for a player in their domestic league. Pay no attention to his low goals tally given the Bosnian league is the most defensively minded in Europe and instead to his captaincy and his contract ending in 2017. He would be a solution to the left side of midfield.

Finally, it is also worth noting that, as with many new Celtic managers, the new man will be allowed to make a marquee signing. While Zlatan might be out of the budget, Celtic could do worse than to look to another out of contract player: James Morrison. The Scotland international is still only 29 and would represent a nice intersection of name value, player quality and price. Fans are never going to get a proper footballing superstar nowadays, but Morrison would certainly be worth getting excited about (and worth ripping the number seven from the back of Ciftci and handing it to)

Dundee

Out of Contract

Kostadin Gadzhalov, Thomas Konrad, Paul McGinn



It is hard to imagine that Dundee wouldn’t try to keep a hold of Paul McGinn but Gadzhalov and Konrad represent two replaceable parts in one of the weaker areas of the side.

Sales?

Dundee have nothing if not a lot of valuable attacking assets. Kane Hemmings is a long time target for Hearts and Rangers are thought to be interested also - Dundee will hope a new contract may keep him as Hemmings is currently on a low wage so there is room in the budget to improve his pay packet. Greg Stewart has long been linked with a move to England, Craig Wighton is highly rated for his potential (although the prospect of it being realised is still very much up in the air) and Scott Bain may not have made his Scotland debut yet but the default answer to Scotland’s future number one is still an impressive keeper with plenty of admirers.

Dundee’s trump card is that they are under no pressure whatsoever to sell - they have money backing them from the owner and should anyone want to prise one of the Crown Jewels from the club, they will have to pay handsomely for it. Kane Hemmings is valued at £250k due to a buyout clause, Stewart £350k, Wighton £300k and Bain is a million pound player (and those valuations are somewhat conservative). One of the jewels will be prised away, but Dundee will not be selling them as a job lot unless some serious money is on the table.

Incoming?

Dundee have a couple of need positions in defensive midfield and central defence where they need to replace Kevin Thomson and long time injury James McPake. That could be by grabbing an out of contract SPFL player such as Liam Craig, Craig Slater or Stuart Bannigan otherwise they will be looking abroad. Defence is possibly secondary to having a combative midfielder but even with everyone fit, James McPake is still James McPake.

More than most SPFL clubs, random players just sort of turn up at Dundee such as Gadzhalov, Konrad, Tankulic and even Darren O’Dea so it is very difficult to predict who they might be interested in, especially if they are going to be selling as well. Of the saleable talents, Kane Hemmings is probably the one whose loss would be least keenly felt (as they have Wighton and also Rory Loy at the club) so it is probably fair to expect that Paul Hartley could be getting quarter of a million added on top of his budget in the middle of the window to throw on wages or even a fee.

So where will Hartley shop? Like Hemmings, disaffected English League One players will be tempted by Dundee. This gives us names such as Martin Paterson of Blackpool or former St Johnstone player, Marcus Haber of Crewe. They are another one linked with Faisal El Bakhtaoui but, in reality, Dundee are a club you could literally just cobble a list of out of contract players from across Western Europe and throw a dart at it to choose signings.

Dundee United

Out of contract

Guy Demel, Ryan Dow, Eiji Kawashima, Callum Morris, Edward Ofere, John Rankin, Florent Sinama Pongolle, Euan Spark

See Sales section!

Sales?

Where to start!

Dundee United are a mess: that’s not news. But their key issue is that, unlike sides who were expected to be tragically awful this season, they are contractually unprepared for relegation. Players don’t have relegation wage drop clauses and those out of contract were mainly signed on short term deals to keep the side up. So while keeping some of the out of contract players (Dow, Rankin, Spark) would be preferable, the money isn’t necessarily there to do so. Guys like Demel, Kawashima, Sinama Pongolle and Ofere will definitely not be kept on. Nor, for that matter, will Mixu Paatelainen. With the club also in a state of being vaguely up for sale, the future is very much fluid.

But, from a budgetary perspective, the few good players they can get money for (Blair Spittal, Scott Fraser), they will have little choice but to sell assuming there is no major investment. It would be unfair to blame that on Stephen Thompson given that there was no expectation that United would plummet so far, so fast but what can’t be denied is that the money that has been earned through sales in previous years which was used to pay off debts and to reinvest in the squad was reinvested badly. Suffice it to say but now everyone has a price, at least until the playing budget has been scythed in two.

Incoming?

Not much. United do have enough of a squad in most positions even if much of the side is sold as there are enough young players in the system to slot in if required in almost every position - only up front where the club would have Simon Murray left and that’s about it, would need reinforcing and, given they’ll be in the Championship, you’d expect that reinforcement to be James Keatings, if the budget allows, because of how proven he is at that level. More likely, however, is a St Mirren situation where reinforcing is difficult and loans are needed as there is neither enough in the budget to sanction new recruits nor is there enough quality in the side minus the obvious departures to realistically target a position higher than 4th next season.

Hamilton Accies

Out of Contract

Kemy Agustien, Eamonn Brophy, Alex D'Acol, Oumar Diaby, Jesus Garcia Tena, Ziggy Gordon, Louis Longridge, Christopher Mandiangu, Michael McGovern, Scott McMann, Daniel Redmond, Lucas Tagliapietra

In terms of wanting to keep, Accies should be making real efforts to keep Brophy, Garcia Tena, Gordon, McGovern and Lucas. Realistically, they’ll be happy to start next season with just Brophy and Lucas of those five.

Sales?

None. Ali Crawford has attracted interest but the club have no incentive or financial reason to sell and Crawford has 2 years left on his deal.

Incoming?

Accies benefit from their link to the Alex Neil Benevolence Fund or, as it’s otherwise known, their former manager donating good loans to the club, as done with Carlton Morris. That will continue as long as Neil is at Norwich which will solve one problem.

Unfortunately, there are about five really big issues with the side minus the out of contract players - Accies are left needing a keeper, a right back, a centre back or two and a striker with no obvious players for either position. Hence why keeping Eamonn Brophy and Lucas is such a big deal. Like Dundee, however, Accies do just have total randoms turn up (Christopher Mandiangu?!), so attempting to pick any actual targets is a fools errand.

Hearts

Out of Contract

Neil Alexander, Blazej Augustyn, Liam Henderson, Sean McKirdy, Callum Morrison, Miguel Pallardo

Not loads to say about this collection of players - Alexander has kept up a high standard still, but he is still at the very end of his career so it’s unlikely anyone but the young prospects would be kept on.

Sales?

Hearts have no financial reason to sell so any sales would be because there is a lot of money on the table. The make up of the Hearts side in terms of youth is conducive to seeing players get picked up and, on the list of players you would want would be Callum Paterson, Sam Nicholson and Jamie Walker. Walker’s injury issues mean him moving is less likely but Paterson and Nicholson would be sellable, if only for a seven figure sum.

Incoming

Hearts have publicly stated that they will be looking abroad for signings due to the fact they feel that they can get better value out of the non-UK market rather than competing with English sides, but Kane Hemmings is a long admired player and the sort of player you would expect to thrive on the service he would get at Hearts. The rumoured £250k clause would make it a sensible move for both parties - Hearts get an ace striker at this level and Hemmings gets a nice wage rise and a move to a club that would suit him.

Realistically, Hearts are only two positions short of a title challenging side - goalkeeper and left back. The hole Miguel Pallardo will leave has already been filled by Perry Kitchen so it’s only now about filling the hole Alexander will leave and upgrading on the inconsistent Juwon Oshaniwa.

So, goalkeeper first. Michael McGovern is an obvious possibility but, like with Aberdeen, there must still be a doubt that he is quite good enough to maintain the expectations Hearts should have next season while also taking into account that Hearts can pay a fee for a player.

Entirely free and first priority would be Darren Keet, the South African “international” currently at Kortrijk in Belgium (he’s capped but he won’t be again for Twitter reasons). After five seasons in Belgium where he has played almost every minute this season keeping an admirable amount of clean sheets at a club that has grown, at 26 Hearts would make a very logical step up to competing for trophies and give him the stepping stone to riches in the EPL.

Left back is a slightly harder problem as Hearts want a specific type of player which is one very strong in an attacking sense. With the side having the shield of Perry Kitchen in midfield, the freedom for a player to go on lung busting runs (as Callum Paterson does from Right Back regularly) is there. Suggestions would include the Kosovan international Leart Paqarada from FC Sandhausen, Bojan Nastic of Vojvodina or Roberto Crivello of Frosinone. The club may also look for another body in midfield but there is little urgency for that.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Out of Contract

Dean Brill, Danny Devine, Aaron Doran, Calum Ferguson, Alex Fisher, Owain Fon Williams, Lewis Horner, Liam Hughes, Cameron Mackay, Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo, David Raven, Jordan Roberts, Ali Sutherland, Iain Vigurs, Nat Wedderburn, Ryan Williams



Your eyes don’t deceive you, that’s literally two thirds of the players at the club. James Vincent and Danny Williams have already signed pre-contracts at Dundee. Contracts will be sorted for many of these.

Sales?

None. Everyone is out of contract, for a start.

Incoming?

Depends on who actually goes but what is certain is that Inverness will need a striker whatever. The club are interested in keeping Miles Storey on but that is unlikely. John Hughes will be shopping in the English lower leagues and also among SPFL frees. That means SPFL alumni like Liam Craig and the next attempt at resurrecting David Goodwillie.

From England, that means resurrecting players such as Chris Maguire or Gregg Wylde before one starts looking at the non-leagues and League Two reserve squads that found Marley Watkins and Billy McKay. Quite possibly the only confident prediction is that any signings will be no-one anyone has heard of.

Kilmarnock

Out of Contract

Miles Addison, Lee Ashcroft, Ross Barbour, Conor Brennan, Julien Faubert, Dean Hawkshaw, Alex Henshall, Chris Johnston, Rory McKenzie, Scott McLean, Craig Slater, Aaron Splaine, David Syme, Darryl Westlake



Dependent upon which league Killie end up in next season, there are a few players you would want to keep either way - Ashcroft, Johnston, McKenzie, Slater and Splaine. It is worth remembering that Killie are both awful and cash poor. In the event of relegation, it would be hard to see where the funds come from to keep players on.

Sales?

Not unless Josh Magennis rips Germany apart in Euro 2016.

Incoming?

Again, dependent on what division they end up in but it isn’t likely to be a busy summer given many players have long term contracts and Killie have currently the second biggest squad in the Premiership. Keep five of the players who will be out of contract at the end of the season and that will likely be enough to to make a decent fist of the Championship and would only need a couple of quality additions to make a decent fist of the Premiership.

Motherwell

Out of contract

David Clarkson, David Ferguson, Wes Fletcher, Ben Hall, Steven Hammell, Keith Lasley, Jack Leitch, Dylan Mackin, Scott McDonald, James McFadden, Stephen McManus, Craig Moore, Craig Samson

Of those, only Lasley, Hammell and McDonald are really worth keeping on from an immediate first team perspective (albeit Lasley may retire and go into coaching). As for the rest, McManus is a first team regular but not necessarily reliable, Clarkson, Fletcher, Moore and McFadden are in a position that’s already over-subscribed so one would expect only one of those to be kept on, and the rest are bit part players currently so it would be a toss up as to whether they stay or go (albeit McManus has been offered a deal).

Sales?

Of Motherwell’s assets, only two, you would expect, are worth much - Louis Moult and Marvin Johnson.

Johnson was linked briefly to Celtic last summer but any move would likely be down to England and into League One. Moult is worth something due to his impressive goals tally both at Well and last season in the Conference in England but, similar to Johnson, you’d be looking at English League One. Motherwell are an interesting case in terms of finances as there isn’t much to go around but unlikely to be much pressure to sell either given the league position will bring significantly more prize money than budgeted for.

Incoming?

Unlikely to be any fees here but Motherwell require a centre back and a holding midfielder to replace the aging, but still handy, Lasley. You would want them to get a centre back given that none of those currently at the club are particularly reliable, but if McManus stays, then there is unlikely to be much movement on that front at all.

For the latter, interest has been noted in Abdul Osman of Thistle, who would slot in comfortably and offer the defence far more cover than they get now - Osman should be their primary priority, really.

The club have also been linked with Jamile Matt of Fleetwood who, owing to injury, has missed much of the past couple of years but has proven himself at League Two level in England with an impressive loan spell at Plymouth.

Partick Thistle

Out of contract

David Amoo, Stuart Bannigan, Frederic Frans, Paul Gallacher, Steven Lawless, Jordan Leyden, Neil McLaughlin, Gary Miller, Abdul Osman, Ryan Scully, Danny Seaborne, David Wilson



They would want to keep almost everyone in that list. Given the Kingsley deal has given a little more money to spend and they will have earned a little more than predicted this season just by being safe from relegation, the battles will really only be over Bannigan, Osman and Lawless who will be coveted by others.

Sales?

Liam Lindsay has been scouted by quite a few clubs after breaking through this season but, even still, a move is unlikely. Aside from him, there are unlikely to be many moves out of the club outwith the out of contract players.

Incoming?

Robbie Muirhead, after being released by Dundee United, would be an obvious pick given his potential and having been on loan at Thistle. Chris Erskine has already signed.

Aside from Muirhead, based on the contract issues, then Thistle will be looking primarily at midfield and also continue their odyssey of trying to find a striker to replace Kris Doolan even though he’s never needed replacing. All this while remembering that Thistle operate in a tiny budget. They have been linked with Lee Kilday of Morton, presumably as a replacement for either Seaborne or Frans should one depart. Also linked has been Jason Banton of Wycombe, who is more or less a left sided David Amoo but has bounced around the English lower leagues never really consistently impressing anywhere.

In the centre, you would expect two additions to the midfield and one striker brought in also (although bringing in Banton and Muirhead would remove that latter issue altogether) but brought in from out of nowhere on a small wage. Bradden Inman of Crewe would fit that bill given he will be low paid in England and has impressed in a rotten side and also a potential return to Scotland for the out of contract Jay Fulton. Finally, Harry Cardwell of Reading (again, out of contract) would look like a very good prospect as a punt up front.

Ross County

Out of Contract

Chris Konopka, Chris McLaughlin



Bye! Ross County have their contracts built around Jim McIntyre’s hence there being so little wastage this summer.

Sales?

Jackson Irvine is fawned upon by many fans but in terms of transfer speculation seems to fly under the radar. Complicating that is that County have everyone on decent length contracts so, more likely than not, very little will happen.

Incoming?

Back-up goalkeeper is the only must. Outside of that, unless the deal is right, it’s hard to see who (or why) County would bring players in. They are perhaps short a full back but it’s hardly imperative they get one.

St Johnstone

Out of contract

Steven Anderson, Scott Brown, Liam Craig, Michael Doyle, Plamen Krachunov, Simon Lappin

All are already in the process of being replaced but you would still want to see the club keep Steven Anderson.

Sales?

None - the focus is on adding not selling this summer

Incoming?

Tommy Wright’s budget has already been increased as part of him signing a new deal with the club last autumn which has meant a deal already for Michael Coulson of York with deals on the table for Blair Alston (waiting on what division Falkirk will be in - if they get promoted, he stays), Ryan Dow and Keith Watson. Rory McKeown of Raith has also been scouted while they have been scouring England for players also. The focus has been on the midfield so far but they could do with a striker to take the load off Steven McLean and a proper replacement for Michael O’Halloran - as such, they’d be another side interested in Robbie Muirhead.

Falkirk

Out of contract

Lee Miller, Blair Alston, John Baird, Paul Watson, David McCracken, Kevin McCann, Deniz Mehmet, Peter Grant, Myles Hippolyte, David Smith, Alan Maybury

Dependent upon promotion via the playoffs. If Falkirk get up, then most will stay, if not, then the club will be pillaged.

Sales?

Outside of the out of contract players, Falkirk have enough money to be able to resist all but the best offers for any players so other top players such as Vaulks, Leahy and Sibbald would need a big bid to move.

Incoming?

Depending on promotion - Falkirk have a side which, right now, could compete in the Premiership with only a couple of additions, primarily up front and in goals. If they stay in the Championship, then it will just be a case of replacing departures.

Hibs

Out of Contract

Paul Hanlon, Conrad Logan, Kevin Thomson, Chris Dagnall, Farid El Alagui

Hanlon is the only one the club would wish to keep

Sales?

If they don’t get promoted, then Jason Cummings and John McGinn will surely be cashed in on as equally effective players can be found for a fraction of the value.

Incoming?

In case of staying down, very little and it would be dependent on who was manager. If they get promoted then also very little given how much Hibs have proven themselves vs Top Tier sides in cups.

Rangers

Out of Contract

Nicky Law, Dean Shiels, David Templeton, Nicky Clark

Goodbye to all

Sales?

Unlikely. Rangers may have strolled the league but few would want to spend money on players who have won a league they were meant to win easily.

Incoming?

Yes. Lots. The defence isn’t quite up to scratch (there’s a reason Hearts don’t miss Danny Wilson), they are short an option up front without relying on Kenny Miller at times. Take away the out of contract players and the club are only left with 16 senior players.

There is money to spend but larger Premiership sides won’t be selling. In all likelihood, Warburton will be treading the same path as last season of a couple of loans and then England. The only deviation to this would be if they go in for the double act of Stewart and Hemmings from Dundee as they would mix well in the side, especially with Michael O’Halloran.