His signings so far this summer have been astute — but what the new arrivals at Dundee these past few weeks have not done has broken the bank.
And manager Neil McCann hopes that will put to rest a feeling in some quarters he only took the job at Dens Park on a permanent basis because he was given a mountain of cash to spend on new talent.
When, a month or so ago, he initially indicated he would be returning to his duties as Sky TV’s top Scottish football pundit, before performing a U-turn and taking the manager’s job instead, there was talk he’d been holding out for a bigger player budget.
Now, though, he’s put the record straight.
“A lot of people did say I had to think about things because of the budget. The budget wasn’t even mentioned,” he said.
“The decision I had was I had two wonderful jobs, two wonderful choices.
“A lot of people said I couldn’t lose because I could take the job here or stay with Sky and I decided to come to the club.
“I’m coming here because I am ambitious, I’m hungry and I want to be successful.”
Weight is added to his words by the fact none of the four signings so far, Scott Allan, Roarie Deacon, Lewis Spence and Randy Wolters, has involved a transfer fee.
That said, it is safe to assume the package for Allan’s year-long loan from champions Celtic won’t have come cheaply.
Neil insists whatever money he forks out in a bid to improve the squad will be spent wisely and he’s taken time to do his homework on all his targets.
“Every manager will tell you we are judged on our recruitment. I’m not a guy who is just going to go for names who’ve been round the block.
“I want the right recruitment and to have boys here who have something to prove.
“I’ve taken a gamble with Lewis Spence, who I knew from Dunfermline, and I think the club need to go down that road.
“We’re not a club who can afford to go and spend heaps of money.
“We need to search for rough diamonds out there and Lewis, for me, comes into that category.
“Already in training he has shown me glimpses of the talent I know he has. As a manager it’s up to me to get the best out of him and he know he has to work hard as well.”
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