Dundee must continue to develop their own talent.
That’s the view of new head coach Steven Pressley as he and the recruitment team at Dens Park set about building a new squad for next season.
The Dark Blues snapped up two signings last week in the shape of Drey Wright and Paul Digby while Charlie Reilly also put pen to paper on a new one-year deal.
But there remains a whole lot more work to be done on recruitment with the squad very light on midfielders and strikers.
Pressley will not have the same responsibilities as previous managers at Dens Park when it comes to recruitment.
Instead it will be a collaborative effort when it comes to identifying and chasing targets.
‘Real challenge’
Having come from England, Pressley has seen first hand the kind of money thrown at players all the way down the pyramid.
And he is warning Dundee fans that picking up players from League One and Two down south is no longer as straightforward as before.
So producing your own – like with Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan – is a major part of his work at Dens Park.
Asked what has changed in Scottish football since he left in 2013, Pressley replied: “The game in general has evolved a great deal. But it’s still the same challenges.
“Probably even more so than ever before the disparity in the salaries and the finances are incredible.
“In Scotland we are struggling to compete with League Two clubs in England. And even National League clubs in England just now. There’s so much finance and money and ambition down there.
“I’ve seen it first hand. The amount of money that some of the young players are on, that haven’t even played a game of real football as yet, is incredible.
“So, that is a real challenge for us up here.
“But that’s why I love what they’ve put in place at this club. And I think I’m very fortunate to come in here where they’ve put really good foundations.
“Stephen Wright within the academy. Gordon Strachan within the academy. Scott Robertson with the development group.
“They’ve demonstrated over the last few years that they’re doing some great work. And some really good young talents coming up.
‘It’s what I really enjoy’
“That’s where a lot of my management’s been. It wasn’t what I set out before I went into Falkirk.
“I didn’t have this vision that I was going to be a developer of young talent.
“The circumstances dictated and then I was kind of moulded by those. And then from there you go to Coventry. They ask you to do the same thing.
“So, it’s what I really enjoy doing. Developing young talent. Not just young talent, developing talent.
“It’s something that really excites me. And I think that development is a big part of what Dundee want to create.
“You have to develop them yourself.
“So that will be part of the job.”
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