Short and simple: I’d rather we prioritised experienced Scottish players or promising home-grown names instead of another long-shot. We’ve lost out on a fair few who later made good elsewhere, and it’s time someone in the boardroom learns from that.

Why stick to the Scottish market?

There’s a case for buying what you know. Scottish players are acclimatised to the league’s tempo, the physical battles and the noise on the terraces. You don’t need to wonder how they’ll adapt — you can see it week in, week out. To be fair, those players often arrive with an edge and a sense of bite that helps the squad immediately.

The ones we’ve missed — and the ones to watch

Look at the list: Hickey, Fraser, Doig, Mulligan, Lennon Miller, Jack Hendry, Shankland, Ross Stewart — some of those are players we had a sniff at and then let slip. It’s easy to say hindsight is 20/20, but patterns matter. There are still young Scots doing their bit in the Premiership who could be realistic targets. I like the look of Milne from Hearts, and names like Wilson or Penrice were ones we might have chased sooner. No guarantees, but the domestic market gives options that fit quicker and cheaper than a long foreign roll of the dice.

Squad roles and second-choice signings

Buying a Scottish player as a second-choice is sensible business. They come in fighting for minutes, understand the league and can slot straight into the team when needed. That competition is healthy — it pushes established lads, covers injuries and occasionally produces a surprise starter who takes the shirt and runs with it. We’ve got faith in Curtis and Glasgow, and hopefully Lyall Cameron will follow through, but having domestic options to hand is smart squad-building.

Truth is, we don’t need star names every window. Sometimes the clever pick from down the road is the one who steadies the ship and ends up vital. Give those players a chance and they might repay us sooner than you think.

Written by OrangeT: 3 May 2026

Tags: transfers spfl