Dundee have moved quickly to sign Faissal El Bakhtaoui after Kane Hemmings left and I am backing him to adapt well to the Premiership.
I remember playing against El Bakhtaoui a couple of years ago when he was at Dunfermline and I was at Forfar, and I have to admit that he was a wee bit disappointing.
When we faced him again the following season, though, he was on fire and everyone was raving about him.
The improvement in him from that first match to the second was significant.
When strikers score goals like he did for the Pars then that attracts interest and I wasn’t surprised to hear that Dundee boss Paul Hartley had been tracking him for several months.
He is being seen by some as a direct replacement for Hemmings but he will be his own man with his own style of play.
I’m sure, though, that if he scores on his debut – perhaps up at Ross County on Saturday – then the comparisons will be made again.
The loss of Hemmings to Oxford United has been a sore for Dundee fans, myself included, because he was absolutely fantastic for the club.
If he has gone for the reported £250,000 or even £300,000 then I would say that’s no big money for a player of his quality and goals.
What is important for Dundee, though, is that Hartley has a proven track record of taking players like Hemmings and Greg Stewart from the lower leagues and making them stars in the Premiership.
There is no reason why, under Hartley, El Bakhtaoui can’t also make a smooth transition to top-flight football.
Speaking of Stewart, it was interesting to hear Hartley call him “irreplaceable.”
I watched him play so well against Forfar on Saturday in the 7-0 game at Dens and you could see where the manager was coming from with a comment like that.
Stewart just comes alive in games and his goals were pretty decent too!
Hartley might not be able to get another Stewart but he deserves to be given the opportunity to see if he can nurture new talent once again, starting with El Bakhtaoui.
The season ahead
In this my first column for The Courier, I have decided to gaze into the crystal ball and predict how I think Scotland’s top two divisions will go.
You can’t look beyond my old club Celtic for the Premiership title so there’s no surprise that I’m tipping Brendan Rodgers’ men to be hoisting the flag again come May.
It does get more interesting when it comes to second place.
I notice Celtic captain Scott Brown was getting some stick for saying Aberdeen are the likeliest to challenge them. I actually agree with him.
I know Rangers are in the mix now but why is that seen as a controversial view?
Surely, given how they have finished over the last few seasons, we should show Aberdeen some respect?
My thoughts are that Rangers could find it hard to maintain a challenge over the course of a season, whereas the Dons have done well to hang in there until the latter stages in the past.
In the Championship, I haven’t seen much of Dundee United so it’s hard for me to say how they will shape up.
I guess it’s a “must get out” season for both them and Hibs.
I do look at Hibs, though, and think they must be favourites for the title because of their resources.
I think United will give it a good go, while I also fancy St Mirren and Falkirk to do well.
