Maloney’s Dee move shrouded in doubt

Dundee’s bid to land Shaun Maloney as manager looks to be in doubt. The ex-Hibs boss has been in discussions with the Dark Blues since early last week, when he was identified by the club as their preferred candidate to replace Mark McGhee.

However, with no deal yet struck, Courier Sport understands the Dee are now looking more closely at other options.

Talks appeared to be moving in the right direction at the beginning of this week, when the club hoped to have a deal in place within a day or two.

The former Celtic and Scotland star’s previous relationship with Dens director of football Gordon Strachan appeared, on the surface, to make him a good fit to slot into the club’s new football structure.

But Maloney’s reluctance to commit after almost two weeks of negotiations has become a concern for Dundee.

As a result, the club is considering more fully a number of other candidates to step in at Dens ahead of a crucial season in the Championship.

Promotion will be the goal for whoever takes charge and, with preseason training set to start later in June, Dundee are determined to have the right man in place sooner rather than later.

The Dark Blues’ first competitive match takes place on July 9 when they welcome Championship rivals Hamilton Accies to Dens Park in the Premier Sports Cup.

Meanwhile, former Dee boss Paul Hartley has left his role as manager of Cove Rangers to take over at English League Two side Hartlepool United.

Hartley had initially rebuffed the offer from Pools but they subsequently returned with an improved offer to tempt him away from the Balmoral Stadium.

He took over at Cove in 2019 upon their promotion to the SPFL and in three seasons led them to two league titles.

Hartley, boss at Dens from 2014 until 2017, was named League One manager of the season after guiding Cove to the Championship and the club will now begin the search for a new manager to guide them into the second tier.

Delays: Shaun Maloney.