WATT I WANT
McPake an admirer of Well striker but may not be able to afford him
JAMES McPAKE admits he is a big fan of Tony Watt but doesn’t know if he has the budget to bring him to Dundee.
The Premiership’s top scorer has turned down a new deal at Motherwell and is likely to leave on freedom of contract come the summer.
It was claimed on national radio at the weekend the Dark Blues were one of the teams who were keen to land Watt. And Dens boss McPake said: “I like Tony, he’s a good player. He stays not far from me, maybe that’s Tam Cowan’s link.
“He’s the top scorer in the league so I think there will be a lot of teams after Tony Watt, he’s a good player.”
McPake will be backed in next month’s window but has dispelled the myth Dundee are throwing big money at players. He said: “There are millions of players out there I’d like to bring to this football club. We have targets but we’re working within a budget.
“There is a myth out there that we’re paying loads and loads of money to the likes of Charlie Adam and Leigh Griffiths. That’s not the case.
“We work within a budget and will continue to do that. If we can get players of that quality within our budget then great. If not we move on to the next target.”
The Dundee boss has already been in Ireland looking at possible winter targets. McPake added: “This transfer window is going to be vital for the club.
“One thing I can say is the club has always backed the manager in January and they’ll do that again.
“We’ve been working on this window for a wee while now. We’ve been in contact with a few players regarding pre-contracts and a few clubs regarding loans.
“It will be a busy January I think. If we get them over the line they will certainly make an impact.”
It remains to be seen if disciplined striker Jason Cummings will be going out the door in January. He had a disciplinary hearing on Monday. The former Hibs and Rangers striker is now back training with the first-team.
But McPake refused to confirm whether or not Cummings would be back in his squad for the Boxing Day trip to Aberdeen.
He said: “He played on Monday night at Airdrie against Albion Rovers with the development side and trained this morning. Any disciplinary action will be dealt with internally.”
Attendances at football grounds will now be limited to just 500. That is the figure that will watch the Dark Blues at Pittodrie. McPake is disappointed but knows it is a sign of the times.
He said: “Sadly now the virus seems to be the norm. The fans were back which I was delighted with but now that has changed and I’m devastated.
“It has changed for the right reasons in public health and I can’t argue with that.”
McPake has just had to deal with Cummings, captain Adam being charged for alleged drink-driving, a Covid scare and a crippling list of injuries – but he’s adamant he has had more challenging periods as manager.
He said: “No, genuinely. It’s tough times when players are chapping your door and telling you they’ve family who are ill or have lost family through Covid.
“It wasn’t my hardest week – we had two defeats where we could have come away from Hibs and Hearts with two points. We just need to keep believing.
“And we need to work hard – that’s how you get through these periods. You stick together.
“It’s been a hard four games because we’ve not won any of them but we’ve been here before.
“We’ve come back before and we’ll do the same again.”