The best transfer from each SPFL Club - Part One


Welcome along to my latest blog post. Today, I’ll be looking at the best addition each SPFL club has made to their squad this summer. Part one will cover Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Dundee United, Hearts and Hibernian. Let’s waste no more time and begin. 

Aberdeen - Scott Brown

Among Aberdeen’s eleven arrivals this summer, one stands out. The addition of Celtic legend and former captain Scott Brown to Stephen Glass’ squad is a major coup. Brown will take on a player/coach role in the Granite City this season as the 36 year old looks to take his initial steps into management. Brown has also taken club captaincy from goalkeeper Joe Lewis. Despite failing to qualify for Europe, Brown’s leadership and experience of winning titles and trophies can only spur Aberdeen on to great things in the coming seasons. 


Celtic - Kyogo Furuhashi

Probably the most unexpected arrival at Celtic this summer was that of Kyogo Furuhashi’s. I also think this is the finest piece of business the Hoops have conducted this window. Remember, this is in a summer where Celtic brought in the Eredivisie top scorer, an England goalkeeper with 75 caps to his name and Croatian, American and Swedish International defenders. We knew Ange Postecoglou would’ve liked to tap into the Japanese market but the manner in which this deal occurred was extremely unanticipated. No rumours or reports came about, something which was met by praise from Celtic fans. The fact Kyogo has made a storming start to life in Glasgow is most likely a major factor in the fact I feel his transfer is the best piece of business carried out by Celtic. The Japanese has scored 7 goals in his first 9 Celtic games this season. The fee for the 26 year old was believed to be in the region of £4.86 million (Transfermarkt) which was the most expensive arrival in the SPFL this summer and justifiably so. 


Dundee - Leigh Griffiths 

Two of the seven additions to James McPake’s Dundee side this season have been loans. Ryan Sweeney, Cillian Sheridan, Luke McCowan, Paul McMullan and Ian Lawlor all signed on free transfers whereas Corey Panter and Leigh Griffiths joined temporarily. The latter is what I believe to be the greatest deal Dundee have pulled off this summer. Griffiths is back where it all began. The striker broke through at Dens Park between July of 2009 and January of 2011 where he scored 33 goals in 62 games in said 18 month period. There is no doubt wherever Griffiths has gone throughout his career he has been a goal scorer. 213 goals in 456 career appearances testifies this. Let’s not forget about Griffiths’ problems off the park in recent years though. Fitness struggles and accusations over messages sent to a school girl by the 31 year old has seen him in cold water. In Dundee, Griffiths will be looking to put these issues behind him and start a fresh. If Griffiths can manage to strike up a partnership with Jason Cummings, the Dee could be in for a goal fest this season. 


Dundee United - Ilmari Niskanen

Tam Courts has added the experience of Charlie Mulgrew, Trevor Carson and Marc McNulty to his squad this summer along with some youthful insertions like Dylan Levitt, albeit on loan. Left back Scot McMann also replaced Jamie Robson, who left for Lincoln City. The foremost bit of business the Arabs have carried out this summer in my opinion though is the addition of Ilmari Niskanen to the team. Dundee United have been known to be interested in Niskanen since last summer. The winger joined from 2. Bundesliga side Ingolstadt after it didn’t work out for him in Germany in 20/21 despite the club gaining promotion from the 3. Bundesliga to the afore mentioned 2. Bundesliga. Niskanen is 23 and already a Finnish International with 6 caps to his name. With Ingolstadt, Niskanen didn’t register any goal contributions in his 21 appearances but when with KuPS in his homeland he scored 27 an set up 31 in his 203 appearances for the club. The 23 year old has a fair bit of experience for his age; 244 senior appearances at the age of 23 is vastly impressive. Niskanen will provide width to the United attack. His crossing ability will undoubtedly help set up several opportunities for the likes of Nicky Clark and Marc McNulty at the top end of the pitch for Dundee United. 


Hearts - Beni Baningime

I had a major dilemma when deciding who the best player Hearts brought in this window was. Ben Woodburn, Taylor Moore, Alex Cochrane, Josh Ginnelly and goalkeeper Ross Stewart arrived at Tynecastle this window. However, it came down to a decision between two holding midfielders, in deadline day signing Cammy Devlin and Beni Baningime. The former Everton midfielder edges it for me. Baningime’s prompt start to life in the Capital has certainly played a part in my final decision. Before joining Hearts on a free this summer, Baningime only had 15 senior appearances to his name; not very stately when you consider he turns 23 in just over a week. The Congolese midfielder has not allowed this lack of experience to phase him though. Instead, he has been one of Hearts’ stand out performers so far this season. The fact he was brought in on a free also means Hearts have the potential to make some ample profit in the future. I feel he could be a mainstay in the Jambos midfield for years to come. 


Hibernian - Chris Mueller

Hibs have conducted some overly shrewd business this summer. There may have been just five players that have came through the door but there have been few outgoings. The free signing of Jake Doyle-Hayes has provided depth in midfield, James Scott will take the injured Christian Doidge’s place up top and the arrival of Daniel MacKay seems to be a low risk move that could provide a high reward in the future. That’s not to mention the deadline day additions of centre back Nathan Wood on loan and 31 year old Clyde keeper David Mitchell. Which one of these players am I picking, you may be wondering. Well, Hibs best piece of business this summer, in my opinion, is the pre contract signing of Chris Mueller. Getting an American international who has 109 MLS appearances to his name for free is phenomenal from the Capital side. In his 109 games, the right winger scored 20 goals and registered 17 assists. Mueller may not be joining up with Hibs until January but this could arguably be the best piece of business out of all SPFL clubs this summer. 


Thank you for reading this article. Look out for part two in the coming days which will look at the best bit of business each of Livingston, Motherwell, Rangers, Ross County, St. Johnstone and St. Mirren have conducted. 


If you enjoyed, leave a comment down below and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Celtic v Hearts: Five things we learned

Image
On a cold, December’s night in the East End of Glasgow, Celtic had to beat Hearts to almost stay in the SPFL title race. Ange Postecoglou’s men lived up to the challenge with Kyogo Furuhashi’s goal proving decisive. Let’s get into three things we learned from the match.   Celtic’s squad depth is continually being put to the test With Celtic missing Cameron Carter-Vickers    through personal reasons and Giorgos Giakoumakis, along with many others, through injury, the thoroughness of the Celtic team is undoubtedly being put to the test. In addition, all three substitutes made by Ange Postecoglou this evening were forced with all of Anthony Ralston, Stephen Welsh and Jota being retracted for one reason or another. All of the above reasons clearly connote the need for recruitment in the January transfer window.  Carl Starfelt is nothing but reliable Upon return from injury, Swedish centre back Carl Starfelt was handed a vital role at the heart of the Celtic defence. The ...
Read more

Who is Jacob Brown?

Image
Scotland will take on Moldova and Denmark in the upcoming International break with just three points needed to secure a play off for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. For the Moldova match in particular, Scotland will be without Ryan Christie and on-form striker Lyndon Dykes; both will miss out through suspension. It was suspected that a new name would be brought in to fill the void with the likes of Johnny Russell and Tony Watt believed to be in the fray although Steve Clarke opted for an unsuspected pick in Stoke City forward Jacob Brown.   The now twenty three year old begun his career at English National League side Guiseley before moving to Barnsley under eighteens in 2015. Brown worked his way through the ranks at the South Yorkshire club before making his first team debut for Barnsley in the 16/17 season. Brown made an additional cameo later on in the campaign, mounting his total to two appearances for the season. In the first half of the 17/18 campaign, the attacker played five ...
Read more

Scotland’s Steve Clarke debate

Image
It is undeniable that Steve Clarke has enjoyed great success since he was appointed Scotland manager back in 2019.   Getting to Euro 2020 and leading his side to their best World Cup qualifying campaign since 1998 has to be commended.   However, poor results in some big matches and a lack of tactical adaptability have led many to question Steve Clarke’s credentials as Scotland manager.  These concerns gathered real pace after a deflating World Cup play off loss to Ukraine but it is fair to say the warning signs have been there for a while.  Despite qualifying for Euro 2020, Scotland’s performance at last summer’s tournament was somewhat disappointing. Granted, the goalless draw with England at Wembley was well deserved and nothing could be done about the quality of the Croatia side that won 3-1 at Hampden but the 2-0 home defeat to the Czech Republic in the opening game was unsettling.  Playing in front of their own supporters in their first major tournamen...
Read more