Who to watch out for as Scottish Premiership kicks off
Kasper Schmeichel taking fellow veteran Joe Hart’s place in goal for Celtic apart, we are still awaiting headline-grabbing signings this summer in the Scottish Premiership.
Finances, especially compared to our English neighbours, mean it is more about eking out a few hidden gems from some obscure markets.
As the new league season kicks off this weekend, we look at some of those who might be worth their weight in signing-on fees.
Kasper Schmeichel (Celtic)
Kasper Schmeichel doesn’t need much introducing.
The son of goalkeeping legend Peter has created his own legacy since he first cut his teeth in Scottish football on loan to Falkirk from Manchester City 17 years ago.
Some pointed out the 37-year-old is seven months older than Joe Hart, whose retirement meant Celtic required a new number one. But the Dane arrives at Celtic Park from Anderlecht fresh from proving he is still an imposing presence with Denmark at Euro 2024 – and in some testing pre-season friendlies.
Vaclav Cerny (Rangers)
Whether by strategy or financial necessity, most of Rangers manager Philippe Clement’s summer additions are young projects who might, or might not, prove shrewd future investments.
Vaclav Cerny, though, is well known to the Belgian from his time with Ajax, Utrecht and Twente and arrives on loan from Wolfsburg having played for the Czech Republic at Euro 2024.
The 26-year-old winger has already endeared himself to Rangers fans with a goal for Ajax against city rivals Celtic in 2015.
Gerald Taylor (Heart of Midlothian)
Hearts fans had a long wait for the arrival of pre-contract signings Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda, two of the Premiership’s most influential attacking midfielders last season with Motherwell and Ross County respectively.
However, it is Gerald Taylor who has perhaps created the biggest buzz during pre-season.
The 23-year-old looks a good bet to solve the problem right-back position after arriving on a season-long loan, with an option to buy, from Deportivo Saprissa via participation with Costa Rica at Copa America.
Sivert Heltne Nilsen (Aberdeen)
Among Jimmy Thelin’s first acts as new Aberdeen manager was to recruit Sivert Heltne Nilsen, with whom he worked at Elfsborg, from last year’s Norwegian championship runners-up Brann while talking up the defensive midfielder’s leadership qualities.
Nilsen’s last act for Brann was to be sent off after 10 minutes of a 5-1 thrashing by leaders Bodo/Glimt and early observations from Dons observers was that he is not the most mobile of operators.
However, his mere presence has given fellow 32-year-old Graeme Shinnie the freedom to transform himself into a goalscoring and goal-creating midfield dynamo.
Rudi Molotnikov (Hibernian)
Warren O’Hora has looked a solid centre-half with decent long passing, has good organisational skills garnered by captaincy experience at MK Dons and, along with the arrival of Marvin Ekpiteta from Blackpool, could be the solution to Hibs’ long-standing problems at the back.
However, it is Scotland youth international Rudi Molotnikov who is most exciting the Easter Road faithful.
The 18-year-old midfielder is not a new signing, having made his senior debut as a substitute in last season’s Europa Conference League defeat by Aston Villa, but he is only now pushing for regular game time after being loaned out to Stirling Albion in January.
Molotnikov was unable to prevent them being relegated from League 1, but he has returned first-team ready and scored twice and played a lead role in other goals as Hibs qualified from their League Cup group.
Robby McCrorie (Kilmarnock)
The return of loanee Will Dennis’ steady hands to Bournemouth meant Kilmarnock were forced to find a new goalkeeper this season – and manager Derek McInnes turned to a 26-year-old who has had a long wait to be a number one.
Last week’s Europa League first leg qualifier against Cercle Bruges was only Robby McCrorie’s sixth first-team start since being loaned out to Livingston in 2020-21 and now, having left Rangers for an undisclosed fee, he has the chance to live up to the potential that led to a Scotland call-up.
Richard Odada (Dundee United)
Kristijan Trapanovski, the 24-year-old Macedonian winger who arrived from Shkupi, was United’s revelation during the League Cup group stage, scoring three times in two games and being a threat in the two others.
Manager Jim Goodwin will be hoping Richard Odada proves to be a similar gem, although it might be too much to ask for the Kenya midfielder to be handed a quickfire debut in a frenetic opening-day Dundee derby.
Online clips of the 23-year-old breaking up attacks and sidestepping opponents before spraying precise diagonal balls will have excited the Tannadice faithful, but can he replicate that Beckenbauer-esque cool in the heated atmosphere of the Premiership having failed to become a first-team regular at Red Star Belgrade and Philadelphia Union?
Ethan Ingram (Dundee)
Given his exploits in helping save Ross County from relegation last season on his way to a 23-goal season, the odds are Simon Murray will prove to be Dundee’s most valuable summer signing.
But the 32-year-old is hardly a new face given this is the striker’s second stint at Dens Park.
At 21, English wing-back Ethan Ingram has already shown hints of quality and is enjoying the first-team starts he desired when rejecting the offer of a new West Bromwich Albion contract after spending last season on loan to Salford City in League Two.
Roland Idowu (St Mirren)
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson will be pleased with the early signs from his summer signings.
Brentford loanee Ellery Balcombe was St Mirren’s star man in their Europa Conference League first-leg qualifier against Valur as he looks to be the Buddies’ latest impressive goalkeeping signing, while Dennis Adeniran has looked influential in midfield after arriving from Hapoel Petah Tikva. Full-back Jaden Brown has also impressed after making his loan from Lincoln City permanent.
However, Dublin-born 22-year-old Roland Idowu could turn out to be the most exciting of them all judging from the midfielder’s pre-season goals and influential direct running as a first-leg substitute in Iceland after arriving on loan from Shrewsbury Town.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (Motherwell)
Having cashed in on Theo Bair’s surprise emergence as a goal machine in his one season after being freed by St Johnstone, Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has given himself plenty of chances to replace the Canada international following his departure to Auxerre.
Filip Stuparevic, the Serb previously of Slovenian club Domzale, Zach Robinson, who spent last season on loan to Dundee from Wimbledon, and Moses Ebiye, the Nigerian who arrived from Aalesunds in March, did not exactly hit the goal trail during the League Cup group stage.
He might have arrived too late to be handed a start against Ross County on Saturday, but new Australia cap and commentators’ nightmare Apostolos Stamatelopoulos may be the long-term solution given his 17 goals in 25 appearances last season despite Newcastle Jets finishing a lowly 10th in the A-League.
In saying that, he failed to find the net once on his last European sojourn with Giannina in the Greek Super League.
Benjamin Mbunga Kimpioka (St Johnstone)
He is not exactly a new signing, but Benjamin Mbunga Kimpioka appears to be a striker reborn following a fairly unspectacular first six months with St Johnstone.
The 24-year-old has picked up the mantle of chief goalscorer in the absence through injury of Uche Ikpeazu, the summer arrival from Port Vale, and uncertainty surrounding Adama Sidibeh after a failed bid from Swansea City since the Gambian’s own meteoric rise to prominence after arriving from Northern Premier League side Warrington Rylands in February.
Former Sunderland forward Kimpioka scored five times in four League Cup group games and will be hoping to improve on the strike rate of three in 17 in the last Premiership half season.
Ronan Hale (Ross County)
Like his former strike partner at Cliftonville, Ben Wilson, who has scored six times in four games for Airdrieonians, Ronan Hale has quickly found his feet in Scottish football.
Those feet had big shoes to fill considering the departure to Dundee of Simon Murray, whose 23 goals last season did much to ensure Ross County avoided relegation.
However, 25-year-old Hale has found the net three times in his two outings so far, suggesting the Belfast-born former Republic of Ireland Under-21 cap can replicate the form that led to 22 goals in 31 appearances last season as Cliftonville won the Irish Cup and finished third in Northern Ireland’s Premiership.
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