Money talks so it was no surprise to finally see Greg Stewart leave Dundee for Birmingham City.
With the front man in the final year of his deal at Dens and unwilling to sign a new one, the six-figure transfer fee was simply too good for the club’s American owners to turn down while the player himself will no doubt have considerably boosted his salary by joining the English Championship side.
However, it is still sad to see Stewart leave – he is an undoubted talent and will be a big loss to the Scottish game.
He was also always a great lad to deal with from a press point of view and it was obvious from the first day he walked into Dens after leaving Cowdenbeath that he was determined to seize his chance of full-time football with both hands.
He did that and more, twice being nominated as the PFA Scotland Player of the Year and providing a whole host of memorable moments for Dundee fans to savour.
Stewart’s trademark, of course, was cutting in off the right, bamboozling defenders before beating a keeper with his gifted left foot – everyone knew what was coming but the opposition was often helpless to stop it happening.
My personal favourite Stewart moment was from last season in a game against Ross County in April when he tied two defenders up in knots before firing home for a goal of the highest quality.
Harkins, a key member of the “Deefiant” side that overcame the league’s 25-point deduction for Dundee entering administration in 2010, will also be a big miss.
He may have fallen out of favour with Dundee boss Paul Hartley but like Stewart, “Jeebsy” could turn a game in the blink of an eye.
It was sad to see his third spell with the Dark Blues end this way but the manager will have had his reasons for deciding the mercurial midfielder was surplus to requirements.
However, Hartley is now facing one of the biggest challenges of his managerial career to date as he adjusts to life without three of his best players with Kane Hemmings, of course, earlier departing for Oxford.
Dundee did show they could cope without the talented trio against Ross County last week – however, the first big test of the post Hemmings/Harkins/Stewart era will no doubt come against Rangers today.
