Dundee boss Gary Bowyer has made a major move this week.
Fans favourite Shaun Byrne has been told he is free to find another club.
I’ve no doubt the former Livi and Dunfermline man will have suitors lining up already.
He’s an excellent midfielder with four promotions to his name and over 300 senior appearances.
So why might Bowyer have decided to let Byrne move on?
New faces
The chief reason will undoubtedly be a need to get players out before more new faces can come in.
The squad is still short in some areas, missing a bit of creative guile in forward areas and possibly another striking option.
Also new signing Joe Grayson has evidently been brought in to play and be first choice in the defensive midfield position.
Since the former Blackburn man arrived, he’s been in the team.
That coincided with Byrne picking up a knock at Raith Rovers but there was no recall at Morton on Saturday.
Grayson is a different sort of player to Byrne, a gifted passer with quality from set-plays.
He was excellent against Arbroath, providing real quality from deep.
But he was poor against Morton on Saturday in a more physical contest, much of the game passing him by.
Other options
There are other options, too.
Including Byrne and the absent Jay Chapman, Bowyer has nine players who can play in central midfield.
That’s far too many.
In that number the likes of Jordan McGhee and Josh Mulligan can be used in multiple positions while Paul McGowan can play further forward.
McGhee being back fit may explain the timing of Bowyer’s decision, along with the arrival of Grayson.
Fin Robertson
There’s also the enigma that is Fin Robertson and the challenge of bringing out his talent as a first-team player.
I have to admit I expected it to be Fin heading out on loan before the transfer window shut.
That was based on the fact Byrne had played every game until that injury at Raith and Robertson has been left out of a couple of squads already this season, including Saturday.
But, maybe this move opens up an opportunity for Robertson to realise his potential.
Age?
Clearly there is a need to free up some wages to add more signings and that means moving some existing players on.
Byrne may well just be the odd one out – or has age gone against him?
There’s obviously nothing he can do about his age but Dundee’s new approach to the criteria of players they want is for young, fit and energetic players.
It seems mad to even consider that with Byrne being only 29.
But this Dens Park squad has just four players over the age of 30 and the average age this season is 24.
It’s a new approach for the Dark Blues and Bowyer doesn’t see a future for Byrne in it.
It’s a big, big decision from Bowyer, one that has taken the fanbase by surprise – will it pay off?
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