Revolution Ready?

Revolution. Revamp. Refresh. Whatever name you wish to attach to the club’s summer transfer business, it was clear in the minds of all and sundry that change was very much the order of the day following a trophyless campaign and dismal showing in Europe.

One element of that change came organically with out-of-contract players being released and in truth – other than the fact we historically failed to recoup fees for certain players – I’m not sure many tears were shed at the majority of the departures. This freed up space in the squad and perhaps more importantly in the wage bill given some were amongst the highest earners at the club.

Sure, losing the Morelos of a few years ago would be a huge loss but that isn’t the player who departed in May 2023. Same goes for Ryan Kent. Others joined them but in truth we weren’t losing players we’d be desperate to retain and the decision to part ways seems one the club and manager were very comfortable with.

The real focus therefore fell on the incoming transfer business and it is of course this activity which will determine our success or otherwise in the upcoming league season. With large gaps to fill and serious quality needed in the first-eleven it is clear that Michael Beale requires a more successful window than Ross Wilson managed for some time, or at all.

Starting at the last line of defence the club was faced with replacing a club legend in Allan McGregor, arguably our greatest ever goalkeeper. Whilst father time had perhaps blunted some of the magic in recent years, he still leaves a void with big gloves to fill. And filling those gloves this season will be former England international Jack Butland who joins the club on a four-year deal.

Butland will be best remembered for his time at Stoke where as a young goalkeeper he impressed in the English Premier League and so much so that he became a full international. For less avid followers of football south of the border Stoke’s relegation probably led to Butland falling off the radar somewhat and a loan move to Crystal Palace as non-playing backup didn’t help.

So what are we getting? Like many players we aren’t signing guys from England at the absolute peak of their careers. Butland will be signed knowing the quality he has displayed in the past and hoping that first-team football, European participation and the hunt for trophies will spark the kind of reignition witnessed from Todd Cantwell for example.

Given our inability to phase out McGregor sooner, I think Butland represents a solid and ambitious piece of business, even if it comes at the cost of reduced opportunities for Robby McCrorie.

Moving forward we can begin to look at the defence itself. While there weren’t many departures in this area it was still a part of the pitch with question marks over it after a porous campaign. That being said the tail end of last season and pre-season so far has perhaps shown some good fortune in the shape of the returning John Souttar and emergence of Ridvan Yilmaz who already looks like our natural first-choice left-back.

The former being available is a bonus and the latter feels like a new signing which is very much needed given Borna’s recent struggles.

In the centre however we still seem a little short. Last season we had spells with Leon King partnering James Sands and, to be honest, we are still perhaps short of one quality centre-back as we look ahead to the current season. Goldson returning is excellent news but Ben Davies has yet to seriously impress meaning that we would be overly reliant on Souttar staying injury free. Leon Balogun adds experience and depth but he is not intended to be a regular starter.

Ideally therefore the club may look to recoup our money, or most of it, on Ben Davies and reinvest in another option. He certainly isn’t a terrible player however I think the tail end of last season showed that when the chips are down he can’t be trusted. Even with Davies staying there is an argument for another centre-back however it would appear that at present funds are being prioritised elsewhere.

Dujon Sterling has been unfortunate in picking up an injury which has ruled him out to date but his addition to the squad at last provides backup – and hopefully competition – to Tav. He looks like a physical and imposing presence on that side of the park, and one that enjoys a tackle. While he may add physicality and solidity however I’m not sure he has the same attacking output as our captain and it would not be realistic to expect him to.

Hopefully he is one we see on the pitch soon and if nothing else allows rotation at right-back to keep Tav fresh as he cannot surely continue to play every game ad infinitum.

As we move up the park with Beale’s new formation it looks very much like two of our three central midfielders will be Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell. The former has impressed hugely in pre-season and the latter finished last season in terrific form. Both were excellent pieces of business in January with only a modest outlay required so the question is how can the manager compliment their talents and perhaps add a missing ingredient to balance the squad.

Kieran Dowell, signed on a free after leaving Norwich, has featured heavily in the friendly matches to date. I think like many players though he is still very much getting up to speed as, a little tenacity vs Hamburg aside, I’m not sure he *currently* looks like an enormous upgrade on current options or that his skillset is something we simply can’t do without. Of course despite the purpose of this article being to look at recruitment that doesn’t mean anyone is being written off before a competitive ball is kicked.

Also rumoured to be coming in imminently is Jose Cifuentes from Los Angeles. With the manager having confirmed that a pre-contract agreement is in place the club is now working to secure him this summer for a modest fee. As a No8 he offers a more dynamic and attacking option to Ryan Jack or John Lundstram. His highlight reel showcases some lovely long-range goals from outside the box however he may need to adapt to the low blocks we will face domestically. I’m hopeful with Raskin and Cantwell we will see the type of energy and tenacity in midfield that we’ve badly lacked for too long now and he would appear to be a different type of player to those currently at our disposal.

Assuming the above transfer goes ahead we still have Jack available as cover for deeper roles, if he can keep himself fit, with Hagi offering a more attacking / creative option in his new deeper role that he referred to after the recent sobering defeat to Olympiacos. Which brings us to the biggest revamp within the squad – the attack.

Kent and Morelos represented two constants over the last half-decade as the team rebuilt, won the league, reached a European final and then regressed. While we chopped and changed other personnel these two were mainstays over the majority of that period. The team therefore will look very different in attack regardless and the challenge facing Michael Beale was to find players who could fill those gaps and add the quality and goals needed.

Recent friendlies have shown a favoritism towards three narrow forwards in the shape of either a single striker backed up by two attackers or vice versa. In the recent defeat to our Greek opposition this was Cyriel Dessers in an undoubted centre-forward role supported by Sam Lammers as a No10 and Abdallah Sima somewhere in between the two.

Dessers, whose goal-scoring record was questioned when signed, will play as a traditional No9 although we haven’t been able to see much of him in recent friendlies given a lack of service and perhaps lack of sharpness on his part as he was a little behind others in pre-season fitness. Perhaps like the recently departed Colak his contribution will very much depend on those around him and the chances they can create as I’m not sure he is going to be rolling and turning defenders like a peak Alfredo Morelos once did. The fee paid suggests the manager has seen something worthy of the outlay and so hopefully once his sharpness returns it will become clear why such faith has been placed in him by Michael Beale.

Moving onto the support acts we have Sam Lammers and Aballah Sima. Lammers, whose goal record recently isn’t one to shout about, at least looks as though he brings something different to the team. “Great feet for a big man” will be the repeated cliché as he turns and twists in the tightest of spaces. In that sense he may be fulfilling ‘the Hagi role’ from the 55 season.

He will be the one with that final pass or ball or turn to open space up against tight defences. And hopefully he can chip in with a few more goals than recent seasons because if he can then he’ll be a very valuable addition for us.

Sima is an interesting one. I’m not sure what I expected when he signed given his time at Slavia and then Brighton but I’ve struggled so far to really see something concrete that has be nodding in approval and thinking ‘yup, can see why this guy is here’. Like Dowell however it may just be a case of early days adaptation where fitness and a change of surroundings take time. It’s certainly not unusual for some players to take time to settle.

And with the current additions now covered that brings us to what remains to be done between now and the end of the window. One that has just been completed is the addition of Danilo from Feyenoord. With a rumoured fee of circa £6m this takes our investment in our attack up to around £15m which frankly is more than significant.

The Brazilian carries more of a goal threat than other arrivals if his recent record is anything to go by and given the outlay on each, is likely to partner Dessers up front if we go with two strikers. If I was to put money on any of our additions scoring the most goals I think it would have to be Danilo and so the excitement of his addition is obvious and self-explanatory. The fee adds expectation but if you want quality attackers this is the sort of fees you need to pay nowadays.

That, realistically, leaves us a centre-back and a few departures away from where the manager wants us to be. If we can move a few players on – I’m thinking the likes of Kamara, Wright, Matondo – then this may free up the funds for a final defender to come through the door. The squad is too large, as is the wage bill, and so it is important that we manage to move on deadwood and those who simply don’t want to be here, something we’ve not been overly successful at in recent years.

So are we Revolution Ready? The truth is I just don’t know.

On paper I’ve been excited looking at the potential starting XI if the ‘in motion’ transfers can be finalised. Danilo, Lammers and Cifuentes in particular could really improve our team. But pre-season hasn’t exactly been startling and the defeat to Olympiacos was a sobering reality check that will hopefully ensure there is no room for complacency.

With Champions League qualifiers and an Old Firm game early doors we really need to hit the ground running however getting so many new players to gel – and a whole new attack – really is a tall order in such a short space of time with some potential additions still to join up with the squad. I don’t envy the manager trying to pull it all together so quickly, but it’s important to remember we all shouted and demanded change, so here it is.

Vive la Revolution.