So far we have lost almost a team of players since the end of last season. Two goalies have gone, as have a left back, a left winger, a central midfielder, a forward and two strikers. Add in invisible men Chris Smith and Sander Puri going, as well as a few youngsters, and it's not hard to see why we're a bit light on numbers - especially when you consider a few other players have been told they can go. The only new signing so far is Gary Harkins, who isn't really a replacement for any of the departures and will instead complement Paul McGowan in midfield.
There's still plenty of time to go to shape the squad of course – pre-season only starts next week - but what sort of players do we need to bring in before the season begins at the start of August?
DEFINITE
Two goalkeepers: An absolute no brainer. You could argue that our lack of players for other positions could be solved by moving someone about or bringing in a youngster, but it's simply not an option when it comes to a goalie. Craig Samson played every game for the last two years and is a huge loss, while we need a back-up with a bit of experience now that both Grant Adam and Chris Smith have departed. The ideal situation would be an experienced goalie and an up and comer. The latter would preferably be someone signed permanently but rumours suggest Swansea's David Cornell will come in for that slot. Dundee's Steve Simonsen either has or hasn't been offered a deal depending on what you read, while we keep getting linked with Aberdeen's Jamie Langfield. This is mainly because he's from Paisley but the deal is unlikely to be a goer as he's still under contract at Pittodrie. Rumours that Craig Gordon is coming on a pay-per-play deal continue to rumble around.
Leftback: The easiest solution would be to bring Paul Dummett back but his future is still uncertain - will he stay at Newcastle, be loaned elsewhere or join another club? Whatever, his departure leaves us with a hole to fill - and it won't be Graham Carey that fills it as he has also been binned. Yes, we could play David Barron but he has had another injury hit season, while Mo Yaqub and Sean Kelly lack a bit of first team experience. Decent leftbacks are thin on the ground though so we could well be forced into one of those options. Dundee's former Burnley fullback Brian Easton has been mentioned on forums - although he may well have signed a new contract at Dens Park.
Left winger: If we're playing a midfield four this season then we need a left winger now that both Carey and Dougie Imrie have gone. The suggestion is Harkins could fill that role but that would probably bring a change of shape. John McGinn played there for much of last season but is more of a central player, while Kenny McLean would be wasted out there. Players with talented left foots are in short supply - although Marc Corcoran is available on a free...
Striker: At the moment we have one experienced striker in Steven Thompson, another in Lewis Guy that has apparently been told he can go and then youngsters like Thomas Reilly, Anton Brady and Jack Smith (if he signs a new contract). Now, it would be nice to see the youngsters given more of a chance but this may be pushing things a bit! It's also probably too much to expect Thompson to have a third successive stellar campaign at this stage of his career. Esmael Goncalves almost certainly won't be coming back so we need to find someone else. Former Buddie John Sutton might be available on a free from Hearts but could be too expensive, while there's suggestions we might get a youngster on loan from Newcastle for this position. Rumours of Nacho Novo being brought in have surfaced lately but are hopefully just nonsense.
NICE TO HAVE
Centre half: We currently have three experienced centre halfs on the books, while Jim Goodwin can play there and we have youngsters like Kelly and Jason Naismith. However, Darren McGregor has been injured for the past two years and may well suffer a relapse, Lee Mair has been told he can go (although says he plans to stay and fight for his place) while Naismith didn't exactly get a lot of game time while on loan at Morton last season. Many fans reckon we should bring in a no nonsense centre half who won't be afraid to put his head or foot through the ball (or an opposition player) and it would be nice to have one, although isn't a priority at the moment.
Central midfielder: Again, we seem to be well catered for with McGinn, Goodwin, McLean and Jon Robertson - although the latter had a disappointing first SPL season last year and was even loaned back to Cowdenbeath. There's also the possibility McLean (or even McGinn) could be sold so it's maybe an area we should be looking to strengthen with cup hero Conor Newton away. There's still a chance he could return but ideally we could do with a ballwinner Goodwin type if he's going to be playing in defence. Former Saint Stephen McGinn has been suggested but is more of a box to box player rather than an enforcer.
Another striker: Admittedly if we sign someone and the Guy issue is resolved then this isn't particularly vital, although having scored once since October I'm not convinced the former Newcastle and Doncaster striker will be able to do a job for us. Even if he does it would still be nice to have another striker on the books but that has to be at the bottom of the priority list.
There we have it - five definites and then another three players it would be nice to have. Easy!
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