Dundee boss Steven Pressley is set to make full use his Brentford links to sign 19-year-old winger Tony Yogane on loan. (Daily Record), external
Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.
Image source, SNSDundee's pre-season hit-out over Arbroath was over-shadowed by a nasty-looking shoulder injury to Charlie Reilly.
The 23-year-old forward has suffered with persistent knocks and niggles in his time at Dens Park since joining from Albion Rovers in 2023.
Reilly was fouled in the box early in the first-half, before new captain Simon Murray missed the penalty.
Drey Wright scored direct from a corner moments after the second half began, with a trialist adding the second.
Dundee (First-half): McCracken, Ingram, Astley, Koumetio, Digby, Garza, Murray, Hunter, Reilly, F Robertson, Graham.
Dundee (Second-half): Carson, Donnelly, Wright, Acquah, Trialist, Samuels, Scott, Hunter, Davies-Browne, Crombie, Lopez.
Substitutes: Sharp, Leiper, Baird, Bland.
Image source, SNSNew boss Steven Pressley is aiming to shake up Dundee's previous transfer strategy as he plans to implement a new, long-term, recruitment strategy.
The Dens Park club signed 16 players last season, and 22 the season before that. So far this summer, Pressley has added just four.
"I'm aware that it's going to take time to get the players in," the new head coach said. "It's really challenging, but I came here with that understanding.
"There's no doubt we could get players in now but are they the right ones for Dundee? That's the most important factor."
"Every year there seems to be a real transition of players and we have to get away from that at our club.
"It has to be when we come to the end of a season, we're only looking to recruit two or three and build on the season before."
"In order to do that it's very important that we get the recruitment right now. We're working tirelessly hard, really doing a lot of due diligence around that. Everybody's really committed to try and getting players in, but we just want to get the right players in."
Pressley has the added difficulty of replacing two key players, academy graduates Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan, who have departed for Rangers and Hibernian respectively.
"We've made a couple of really good acquisitions to the squad in [Paul] Digby, who's settled in extremely well, Drey Wright, who has had a a couple of excellent seasons at St Johnstone, and of course Emile [Acquah] from AFC Barrow, a big striker that has very much impressed me in my travels in England.
"He also impressed our recruitment team - the reports, the due diligence on him was very good and we all collaborated. We think he is a really interesting signing."
The head coach also touched on the partnership Acquah can strike with new club captain Simon Murray, who was appointed earlier in the week - a decision Pressley called "very easy".
"It was the natural choice. When you look at Simon, first and foremost, he's a terrific person but he's also a player with a great attitude.
"He leads by example to our younger players, he's a really good player and I love his journey. He's had to work exceptionally hard for what he's got, he's had some serious setbacks in his career, some difficult periods, but he just keeps going.
"He's shown amazing resilience and we're really seeing the fruits of that now. He's never been better than he is now, never been fitter than he is now, so it was a very easy decision. He's a Dundee supporter at heart, which which also is a a really important factor."
Dundee are still in the dark as to the compensation they will receive for Lyall Cameron, who has joined Rangers, and fellow midfielder Josh Mulligan, who has signed for Hibernian. (Daily Record), external
Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.
Image source, Getty ImagesBulgaria international Plamen Galabov "quickly" signed a two-year deal with Dundee as he wants to get out his "comfort zone" and "challenge" himself.
The defender joins Steven Pressley's side upon the expiry of his contract with Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tiva, where he made 37 appearances last season.
Galabov, 29, started his career in his native Bulgaria with FC Lovech, before moving to CSKA Sofia. His last three clubs have been in Israel, where he said he grew comfortable.
"After four years in Israel, I had found my comfort zone and when I found out about the interest from Dundee I wanted to come to Scotland," he told Dundee's website.
"I want to challenge myself and see how far I can go."
Galabov has five international appearances to his name since his debut in September 2020 against the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Nations League.
"From my first impressions here it seems like everyone is like a family and it made me feel very warm," he added.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone. Everything happened very fast, a week ago my agent told me of the interest from the club, I started to read more about the country and then I accepted very quickly this opportunity.
"I always try to be a team player, for me it's very important to try and help my teammates around me.
"As a defender, it is important to communicate a lot and to be calm as that helps the players around you."
Hibernian have agreed to sign free agent Josh Mulligan, the 22-year-old midfielder most recently at Dundee, with a medical imminent. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external
Dundee have missed out on Matthew Pennington, with the defender having joined Bradford City from Blackpool. (Courier - subscription required), external
Livingston are keen on a return for Hearts midfielder Macaulay Tait, 19, following his successful loan last season, but there is also interest from Dundee, Falkirk and St Johnstone. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external
Image source, SNSSimon Murray says it was "an easy decision" to accept and "a massive honour" to be announced as captain of Dundee.
The striker, who rejoined his boyhood club last season after a short loan in 2018, scored 22 goals in 48 games in the campaign gone by.
He had the captain's armband around his bicep throughout the season after injury interrupted previous Joe Shaughnessy's campaign and Trevor Carson was in and out of the team.
Murray admitted he will "give his all" to the role assured he is "not going to change" despite the new responsibility.
"It is a massive honour," he told club media.
"Being from here, growing up as a Dundee fan and now getting that responsibility from the new gaffer is great and something that I am really proud of.
"We've had a few days in training and I had a good chat with the gaffer, he pulled me in and we had a really good chat and he said that he wanted me to be the captain.
"It was an easy decision for me to accept. I'm going to give it my all and I look forward to the challenge.
"I'm not going to change. The gaffer was pretty clear that he wants me just to be me.
"Just to bring what I bring, enthusiasm, hard work, and leadership skills and for me just be my own person and just keep doing what I'm doing. He said that was the reason that he chose me to be captain."
Image source, SNSMidfielder Mo Sylla has joined Livingston following his exit from fellow Scottish Premiership side Dundee on a three-year deal.
The French 31-year-old spent two seasons at the Dens Park club, making 67 appearances, after joining from English League Two side Hartlepool United.
Sylla becomes David Martindale's seventh signing as the Lions prepare for life in the top flight again.
Image source, BBC SportDundee will pay £33,000 up front, possibly rising to £100,000 if add-ons are met, to Barrow for Emile Acquah after the 24-year-old striker signed a three-year deal at Dens Park. (Courier), external
Dundee are interested in 30-year-old Blackpool centre-back Matthew Pennington. (Daily Record), external
Image source, BBC SportOscar Soto, a 20-year-old centre-back, and 19-year-old midfielders Jorge Landeros and Jose Urias are heading to Dundee on trial from Monterrey with a view to loan moves, while midfield duo Kyle Magennis and Tommy McDermott, who have left Kilmarnock and Burnley respectively, are also on trial. (Daily Record), external
Image source, SNSWe asked for your views on Dundee's Scottish Premiership fixtures and how they will be faring after 10 games.
Here's what some of you said:
Lammy: Impossible to say until we see the new squad assembled. Anything round about 15 points will be okay.
Alister: Sadly, stranded in 12th place. It doesn't really matter how the fixtures land, we are certs going down. All of our better experienced players gone, apart from Simon Murray and Trevor Carson, not near Premiership standard as they proved last season. In 64 years attending Dens, never witnessed such a shambles pre-season.
Alan: Dundee have tough opening fixtures. Our squad is much weaker than the one that narrowly avoided the drop last season and we appear to be shopping in the 'bargain basement' in an effort to strengthen. We have no chance of making the top six and will compete with Livingston to avoid automatic relegation.
Gary: The games will sort themselves out if we have a squad ready to take them on. At this point it's glaringly obvious there's no depth. Six weeks to flesh out a team, bringing in starters, not project players. Only way you plan for the future properly is by breeding success consistently.
Opta have crunched the numbers to rank the difficulty of each Scottish Premiership club's first four fixtures of the 2025-26 season.
According to their data model, St Mirren have the toughest start, followed by two clubs helmed by new managers, Dundee and Motherwell.
As for the easiest, Hibernian and capital rivals Hearts should got off to a flier, right?
Take a look below to see where your side places...
Image source, SNSAside from the first game of the season against Hibernian, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.
Image source, SNS
Image source, SNSThe first Dundee derby of the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership season will take place on Saturday, 30 August.
Steven Pressley's side welcome Dundee United to Dens Park for a 15:00 BST kick-off.
New boss Pressley's first jaunt down to his former club in the league will be the new year showdown on Saturday, 3 January.
What else awaits the Dark Blues on the festive schedule? Their last game before Christmas is away to Motherwell on Saturday, 20 December then they see out 2025 with home matches against newly-promoted Falkirk and Kilmarnock.
The final derby of the pre-split season is pencilled in for Saturday, 14 March.
Pressley's men round off the pre-split campaign away to Killie on Saturday, 11 April.
Looking at the fixtures, where do you think Dundee will be after 10 games? Share your views here.
Image source, SNSSteven Pressley's first Scottish Premiership game as Dundee boss will be at home to Hibernian.
The match will take place on Sunday, 3 August at 15:00 BST, with Dundee's first away fixture against Rangers on Saturday, 9 August at 17:45.
See Dundee's Scottish Premiership fixtures in full here.
All times BST
Dundee have taken former Kilmarnock, Hibs and St Mirren player Kyle Magennis, 26, and fellow midfielder Tommy McDermott on trial. (The Courier, external - subscription required)
Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.
No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Friday when the Scottish Premiership fixtures are released.
That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and the run-in to the split.
This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Friday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.
The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 2 August and will conclude on Sunday, 17 May 2026.
After turning down a new deal at Dundee, 32-year-old centre-half Joe Shaughnessy is set for a move to Australia with Newcastle Jets. (The Courier, external - subscription required)
Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.
Image source, SNSNew Kilmarnock signing Scott Tiffoney says he has come to a "great place to play football" after joining the Rugby Park side on a two-year deal following his Dundee exit.
The 26-year-old attacking midfielder spent two seasons at Dens Park, scoring 10 goals in 76 appearances, and also has previous Premiership experience with Livingston.
"I'm buzzing to be here. As soon as I heard Kilmarnock were interested it was something I really wanted to be part of," said Tiffoney.
"I've played here before as an opponent and always thought it was a great place to play football.
"The manager's been really clear on what he wants and how I can fit in, so I'm just excited to get going and show the fans what I can bring."
Tiffoney is new Killie manager Stuart Kettlewell's fourth signing after defender Jamie Brandon and midfielders Greg Kiltie and Jack Thomson.
"Scott is a player that I've admired for a while, he's a consistent performer in this league, as soon as we were alerted to his availability it was one we wanted to get done," said Kettlewell.
"Again he's one that fits into the system we are going to be playing and he's going to add to the quality we already have here. I look forward to getting to work with Scott as we kick off pre-season this week."
Killie fans, what do you make of Tiffoney's signing and the club's summer transfer business so far? Share your views here.
