The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Spence was on verge of signing for Brechin
Dark Blues’ latest signing had verbally agreed to join Glebe Park side before phone call from McCann
If it hadn’t been for a last-minute intervention from Neil McCann, Lewis Spence would have been a Brechin City player rather than a Dundee one, Courier Sport can reveal.
The midfielder had agreed to sign for the newly-promoted Championship side after being released by Dunfermline.
But Darren Dods knew he couldn’t stand in the 21-year-old’s way when his old East End Park mentor made his unexpected pitch.
Spence was a success for Brechin on loan in League One but a dramatic turn of events has taken him to the Premiership.
Dods, who believes defensive midfield is the player’s best position, said: “We’d spoken to Lewis and he had verbally agreed to join us. He was going to sign the next day.
“Then Neil McCann came on the phone. It’s obviously a great move for him and I completely understand that he couldn’t turn it down.
“He hadn’t really played much for Dunfermline but he did well for us.
“I know that Neil rated him highly as a youngster when he was at Dunfermline a few years ago. He must see the potential in him.
“He’s been in full-time football since he left school but this is obviously a big step-up and a big challenge to get in the Dundee team, which will be aiming for the top six of the Premiership.
“I hope it works out for him but you never know if we could get him back on loan again.”
Spence is McCann’s third summer signing – Scott Allan and Roarie Deacon agreed deals last week – with the Dens Park boss challenging the surprise arrival to follow Cammy Kerr’s example.
McCann believes he can get the best out of a player who featured six times for the Pars in last term’s Championship campaign.
He said: “I’ve seen enough of Lewis in my time at Dunfermline that suggests I wanted to give him a chance here at Dundee. I want to work with him to try to realise the potential that I saw in him.
“He knows he is going to have to work extremely hard to force his way into my first 11 but if you take our new vice-captain Cammy Kerr for example, it shows how far you can go in a short space of time with drive and determination given the opportunity.”
Meanwhile, defender Kostadin Gadzhalov has signed a new one-year contract with Dundee.
The centre-back has been with the Dark Blues since 2015. He played 19 times for the Dens Park club last season, two of them under new manager Neil McCann.
The Dundee boss is still expected to sign another central defender for the 2017-18 campaign.