The best January transfer from each SPFL team (Part One)

Now that the January transfer window has come to a close, I’ll be picking the best incoming at each Scottish Premiership team. 

Part one will look at Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Dundee United, Hearts and Hibs. Let’s waste no more time and begin. 

Aberdeen - Vicente Besuijen

The two most recent transfer windows in Scotland have marked an exciting change in the recruitment processes at many clubs. Instead of opting for dull, tedious rejects from England’s lower leagues, clubs are beginning to broaden their horizons and explore more alluring markets. 

This is epitomised with the addition of Vicente Besuijen to Stephen Glass’ Aberdeen squad. 

The young Dutch winger signed from ADO Den Haag in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of football in the Netherlands having joined The Hague club in 2020 from Italian giants Roma. 

Besuijen never got to turn out for Roma at senior level, only managing to play for their youth sides. However, at ADO Den Haag, Besuijen made 56 appearances, scoring 7 goals and setting up 14. 

The Dutchman is capable of operating on either flank as well as just off the striker. Along with a goal threat, Besuijen also brings experience of fairly high levels of football, at least for his age. He’s represented the Netherlands at numerous youth levels, racking up 26 appearances for his country and even made played 30 times in the Eredivisie in the 20/21 season. 

Stephen Glass was clearly enlivened by Besuijen’s arrival, stating: “Vicente is here to be a big part of what we’re doing” 

Besuijen is a quick, direct winger who specialises in dribbling and at twenty years old, still has lots to offer. It will be intriguing to see how the Dutch youth International’s time at Pittodrie pans out. 

Celtic - Reo Hatate 

There was never going to be as many incomings at Celtic in January as there were in the summer however it was still a relatively busy month for the Hoops. 

Three players were brought in from Japan as well as Johnny Kenny and English midfielder Matt O’Riley. I believe the foremost of these arrivals was that of Reo Hatate’s.

The Japanese joined Celtic from current J. League champions Kawasaki Frontale where he made 77 appearances across his two year spell at the club. 

Hatate’s is best used in central midfield however he can also aptly play at left wing and even left back, if required. So far at Celtic though, Hatate has played in the number eight role where he has particularly excelled. 

In all of his five Celtic appearances, the twenty four year old has bossed the midfield. His liveliness and dynamism has been great as have his three goals. Hatate followed up his man of the match performance on his debut against Hibs with a thunderbolt at Tynecastle. The midfielder then disposed his supreme goalscoring capabilities in the Glasgow Derby as he netted a double. Hatate also set up Liel Abada for Celtic’s third in that match. Furthermore against Motherwell, Hatate set Abada up once more with a sublime cross-ball. 

Reo Hatate has been yet another prudent purchase from Celtic. Brought in from the J. League for a minimal £1.4 million fee, the midfielder has brought further quality to the engine room as well as adding extra depth which was greatly required in the first half of the season. 

Dundee - Zak Rudden

Alongside city rivals Dundee United, a significant obstacle for Dundee this campaign has been scoring goals. The Dee statistically have the second worst attack in the league despite having boasted the likes of Jason Cummings and Leigh Griffiths in attack. 

However, with the departure of Cummings to Australia and Cillian Sheridan remaining out through injury for the foreseeable as well as Leigh Griffiths’ loan expiring, Dundee have brought in Partick Thistle striker Zak Rudden. 

Rudden made the move to Maryhill in January of 2020 after coming through the academy at Rangers and enjoying loan spells at both Falkirk and Plymouth away from Ibrox. For Thistle, Rudden played 49 times, scoring 18 goals and assisting 5. 

The twenty two year old initially signed a pre-contract which would’ve seen him join Dundee in the summer although this was soon brought forward after the Dens Park club agreed a six month loan deal to bring Rudden to the club in January. 

Clearly, James McPake has put full faith in Zak Rudden in the hope the Scotland under twenty one International can help Dundee get back to their best up front. You feel any hopes they have in evading relegation could be down to Rudden hitting form. After all, their attacking options up to this point have not provided the goods and their defence is not the most stable. 

He may have made only two appearances for Dundee so far however Rudden has already managed to bag his maiden goal for the club, rifling into the back of the net against Ross County in a 2-1 defeat. 

Rudden appears to be an extremely promising young Scottish talent and it will be engrossing to see how the striker will handle the step up from the Championship to the Premiership. So far, it appears he’s doing so with ease. 

Dundee United - Tony Watt

One of Dundee United’s salient issues thus far in the 21/22 season has been scoring goals. The Arabs have netted just nineteen in the league; only rock-bottom St. Johnstone have scored less. It appears Tam Courts has went all out to solve this problem in January by procuring the services of Tony Watt. 

Similarly to the deal which saw their cross-city rivals sign Zak Rudden, Watt initially signed a pre-contract agreement which would’ve seen him join Dundee United come the summer however a nominal fee was worked out and the twenty eight year old made the move from Lanarkshire to Dundee in mid-January. 

The Scot joined the club as the league’s top scorer however that crown has been recently taken by Regan Charles-Cook. In spite of this, Tony Watt has brought an extra attacking edge to Dundee United in the few games he’s played.  

The signing of Watt is a huge coup for United. The striker will undoubtedly solve the issue of a lack of goals and coming into his peak years, offers the potential to bring some real quality and virtue to Tannadice in the coming seasons. 

Prior to Watt’s arrival, Dundee United already had a great blend of experienced professionals such as Charlie Mulgrew and youthful prospects like Kieran Freeman. Now, the addition of a top class striker (at least for the division’s standards) could signify the next step in the Arabs’ quest to establish themselves as a genuine top six club. 

Hearts - Nathaniel Atkinson

Hearts dipped into the market in Australia once again in the most recent transfer window. Cammy Devlin joined in the summer from Newcastle Jets and now, Nathaniel Atkinson has signed from Melbourne City. 

The twenty two year old is a right sided player, predominantly a defender. In the games he’s played, Atkinson has slotted seamlessly into the right hand side of Robbie Neilson’s system, getting up and down the flank at ease. 

The Australian signed a three and a half year deal with Hearts paying a minimal fee to Melbourne City for his services. 

With Michael Smith beginning to age, Nathaniel Atkinson offers a long term replacement for the thirty three year old yet also provides an ample option in the present. I believe the signing of Nathaniel Atkinson trumps Hearts’ dealings of bringing in Ellis Simms on loan from Everton and Toby Sibbick from Barnsley. 

Hibernian - Elias Melkersen

Among a plethora of arrivals in January for Hibs was Norwegian striker Elias Melkersen. 

We alluded to how Scottish clubs are beginning to tap into more far-fetched markets and Melkersen’s move to Easter Road is another prime example of this. 

The nineteen year old joined Hibs from upcoming European side Bodo/Glimt for a fee believed to be in the region of £300,000 according to the Scottish Daily Express. 

Although he signed from Bodo/Glimt, Melkersen was actually on loan at Norwegian second tier side Ranheim IL in 2021. The striker scored 19 goals and assisted 1 in his 29 appearances for the side. 

In the 39 senior appearances Melkersen has made throughout his evidently short career, he’s managed to net 23 times, disposing his abilities as a goal scorer. 

Along with several other talents such as Ewan Henderson and Rocky Bushiri, the signing of Melkersen marks the beginning of a new era at Hibs under Shaun Maloney. 

That caps off part one this series. Keep an eye out for part two in the coming weeks in which I’ll be looking at the best January signing from each of Livingston, Motherwell, Rangers, Ross County, St. Johnstone and St. Mirren. 

Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog for more Scottish football content.