January is a hard time for everyone's pockets - and that includes Scotland's football clubs.
As we hear of Celtic, Rangers and the English giants splashing millions of pounds in the January sales, it's easy to forget that you don't have to spend a king's ransom to land a new star player. Free transfers can be the way of it for those working with smaller budgets up and down the leagues and while free agents can be signed outside the window, January is the natural point in the season to start looking for new additions.
There are a handful of Scottish-based players available who can do a turn across our senior leagues as clubs from the Premiership down to League Two look for that signing to give them an extra 10% for the rest of the season. Record Sport have examined field to see who's out there in Scottish football's bargain basement - could any of these guys make an impact at your club?
Leigh Griffiths
The former Celtic striker's struggle to find a club has been well-documented. Since his fall from grace at Parkhead, Griffiths had disappointing spells with Dundee and Falkirk before a bizarre stint at Australian side Mandurah City.
At just 32-years old, there should be plenty of life left in Griffiths yet. A move to a top-flight club may be beyond him, but he should be in decent condition following a recent training block with Livingston. As the Scottish top-flight's second highest goalscorer of all time, there's no doubt that a fit and firing Griffiths would be a welcomed boost for a lower league Scottish club willing to take a chance and Morton were recently linked.
Graham Dorrans
The former Rangers midfielder has had a hellish time with injuries since returning to Scotland in 2017. Despite a good start to his spell in Govan, the Scotland international was released after two seasons following a lengthy recovery from surgery.
Dorrans then turned out for Dundee before a brief stint in Australia. The 35-year-old has been a free agent since September, having left Dunfermline by mutual consent.
With a high risk of injury and advancing age, it's likely that Dorrans' time in the full-time game is over. Switching to the right part-time environment could help preserve his ageing body and allow a lower league club to benefit from his obvious talent.
Scott Fox
If a Scottish club has trouble between the sticks, they could do much worse than pick up the phone to Scott Fox.
The former Celtic rookie has enjoyed a long career in Scotland's top flight. As well as spells at Queen of the South and Dundee, Fox was part of Ross County's 2016 League Cup winning side. The 35-year-old also made the Gordon Strachan's Scotland squad in 2013.
Fox most recently spent two seasons at Motherwell, playing second and third fiddle to Liam Kelly. The stopper also had loans at Greenock Morton and Queen of the South. Fox got involved with the community football programmes while at Fir Park, so clearly harbours ambitions to get into coaching. He could be just the man for a player/goalkeeping coach role at a cash-strapped club.
Michael Hector
He's at the age of 30 now but Michael Hector would certainly bring bags of experience to a Premiership side in need of defensive reinforcements, carving out a good career for himself in the EFL since leaving Aberdeen in 2014.
Hector spent a large portion of last season on the Fulham bench as they earned promotion back to the Premier League and he's not been able to find himself new employment since.
It would certainly be an ambitious move given he's racked up 22 Bundesliga appearances on top of his 177 English second tier outings. But if he can prove fitness, he'd be a good acquisition for clubs in Scotland.
Kevin McDonald
The midfielder may be in the twilight years of his career but would be more than capable of doing a job for a lower league side. McDonald most recently had an injury hampered stint at Dundee United last season and has been doing some training and coaching with Fulham's youth squads since.
McDonald has a wealth of top level experience, having spent most of his career at Sheffield United, Wolves and Fulham. The 34-year-old also earned five Scotland caps. While his head seems to be slowly turning towards coaching, McDonald could be tempted to keep playing if the offer was right.
Marc McNulty
It's a mystery why this formerly in-demand striker remains without a club. McNulty burst on to the scene with Livingston as a teenager in 2009 and earned a move to Sheffield United where he made his name in English football.
In 2014, McNulty scored the only goal in a 1–0 home victory over Southampton to send United to the semi-finals of the League Cup. A decade after being released by Reading as a kid, McNulty penned a lucrative four-year deal with The Royals in 2018 before returning to Scotland.
McNulty's recent barren spells at Hibs and Dundee United may be why top-flight clubs aren't blowing up his phone. Perhaps a move to an ambitious Championship side is what he needs to reignite his career, as age is still on his side. McNulty is currently linked with Arbroath, but don't be surprised if more Championship clubs look to lay in his services before the second half of the season.
Chris Maguire
Remember him? The striker came through the ranks at Aberdeen and made 131 appearances for The Dons from 2005-2011. At the expiration of his Pittodrie contract, Maguire signed for English Championship side Derby County and began a fruitful journey in English football.
The 33-year-old has spent most of the last 10 years plying his trade in the Championship and League One, turning out for Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland among others.
Maguire almost signed for Hartlepool United in September but the move wasn't completed as the deal was placed on hold until there was an outcome to the case regarding his bets on football matches as a ban hung over his head. Now could be the perfect time for the Scotsman to come back up the road and see out his career at a Championship side.
