When St Mirren were announcing key players signing new deals before last season was even completed, I thought the club might have enjoyed a rare, quiet summer transfer window.
With the likes of Mark O’Hara, Marcus Fraser, Greg Kiltie, Ryan Flynn and Trevor Carson all agreeing contract extensions early doors, the core of the squad appeared to be fairly set in stone.
How wrong I was. The first shock came when Charles Dunne, who looked to be heading out the door, performed an impressive U-turn and decided to sign a new deal with the Saints after all.
An even bigger surprise was still to come. Goalkeeper Trevor Carson, who was one of the club’s standout performers last season, agreed a new deal in March when he still had another year on his contract.
That tied the shot-stopper down until the summer of 2025, with the number one jersey appearing to be sorted for the next two seasons.
Fast forward three months and it looks increasingly likely the Northern Ireland international’s time with the club is up.
With the keeper missing the pre-season trip to Belfast, and with Middlesbrough goalie Zach Hemming joining on Wednesday, it looks a safe bet that Carson won’t be appearing between the sticks for the Buddies this season.
But if the last few weeks has taught me anything, it will be to not rule anything out for the rest of this window.
Hemming has his work cut out to persuade every Saints fan he has what it takes to fill Carson’s gloves if required.
After a brilliant debut season with Kilmarnock in which he helped them clinch the Championship title, the following season saw him fall out of favour at Rugby Park.
He’s hardly played in 2023, but the fact Stephen Robinson and Jamie Langfield rate him so highly tells you they see a talent in there.
The fact Middlesbrough have given him a contract to 2026 also tells you they feel he has a bright future ahead, especially given his tender age of 23 - virtually a kid in goalkeeping terms.
Even before Wednesday night’s goalless draw with Glentoran, it was clear the Saints need to bring in some firepower up front.
While Curtis Main wasn’t the most clinical forward, he nevertheless fit Robinson’s system superbly and occupied defenders well with his physicality - often steam-rolling them altogether.
With Eamonn Brophy’s anticipated switch to Ross County confirmed yesterday, it’s clear the Buddies have plenty of work to do up front.
Robinson stated post-match that he wants two new strikers in at the SMiSA. One has already been confirmed in the form of young Israeli forward Stav Nahmani.
At just 20 years old, it will be interesting to see how quickly the Maccabi Haifa talent settles into life in Paisley.
By all accounts he’s a pacy player, which will certainly come in handy as he tries to slot into Robinson’s high pressing system.
With Jonah Ayunga still recovering from his serious cruciate knee ligament injury, the Buddies are still in need of reinforcements up front.
They have been linked with a move for vastly experienced striker Steven Fletcher.
Having watched the forward impress in England for many years, I was equally impressed whenever I saw him play last season for Dundee United.
Never a player to overly rely on pace, his link-up play and positioning is exceptional and his finishing with his left foot or his head are equally impressive.
Given the right service I think he’d be an excellent acquisition, and that English top flight and international experience with Scotland would also be a big asset to the overall Saints squad.
Yes his age could be seen as a concern. But the 36-year-old made 40 appearances for Stoke in the 2021/22 season before turning out 39 times for Dundee United last season. That suggests his fitness isn't a huge cause for concern, and 10 goals for a struggling Terrors side last season is a decent tally all things considered.
With Brophy’s wage off the bill, St Mirren could do a lot worse than to put some of that cash towards bagging Fletcher’s signature.
Whatever happens in the rest of this transfer window, I’m sure there’s going to be at least a few more shocks and surprises as Robinson tries to build a team capable of staying in the top six this season.
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