Scottish Premiership odds: All the transfers and predictions for the new season
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Scottish Premiership odds and predictions
The cinch Premiership season gets under way on the weekend commencing July 30, with Celtic starting the defence of their title at home to Aberdeen on Sunday.
The Hoops have made several new signings, including former Huddersfield midfielder Aaron Mooy, and are 4/7 favourites in the Scottish Premiership odds to retain their title.
Old Firm rivals Rangers have lost two of their key players in Calvin Bassey (Ajax) and Joe Aribo (Southampton) and are 13/10 to wrest back the title.
Here, we take a look at each club’s chances and their transfer dealings to date.
Aberdeen
Manager: Jim Goodwin
Last season: 10th
In: Ylber Ramadani (MTK Budapest, £100,000), Jayden Richardson (Nottingham Forest, free), Liam Scales (Celtic, loan), Anthony Stewart (Wycombe, free), Bojan Miovski (MTK Budapest, £535,000), Kelle Roos (Derby, free), Luis Lopes (Benfica, £300,000).
Out: Calvin Ramsay (Liverpool, £6.5m), Declan Gallagher (St Mirren, free), Andrew Considine (St Johnstone, free), Teddy Jenks (Brighton, end of loan), Dylan McGeouch (released), Michael Ruth (Queen of the South, free), Gary Woods (released), Funso Ojo (Port Vale, free), Adam Montgomery (end of loan).
Chances: There is an air of the unknown about many of Goodwin’s first summer signings but he has been backed with cash and has been single-minded in his desire to improve the squad. Finishing 10th after eight seasons in the top four is highly likely to be a blip with the Dons surely targeting third.
Key Player: Christian Ramirez
Prediction: Fourth
Celtic
🗣️ "From my perspective, from the first day the boys have been good, they’ve been working hard and we need to keep doing that right up until the first game."#LEGCEL | #SuccessNeverRests | #COYBIG🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) July 21, 2022
Manager: Ange Postecoglou
Last season: Champions
In: Benjamin Siegrist (Dundee Utd, free), Alexandro Bernabei (Lanus, £3.75m), Aaron Mooy (Shanghai Port, free), Moritz Jenz (Lorient, loan).
Out: Liam Scales (Aberdeen, loan), Vasilis Barkas (Utrecht, loan), Tom Rogic (unattached), Nir Bitton (Maccabi Tel Aviv, free), Karamoko Dembele (Brest, undisclosed), Ben Doak (Liverpool, undisclosed), Ismaila Soro (Arouca, loan), Liam Scales (Aberdeen, loan).
Chances: Start as favourites after improving as last season went on and retaining former loan players Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers. But Rangers showed that this season could be the tightest title race for many years after finishing strongly in Europe and the Scottish Cup.
Key Player: Kyogo Furuhashi
Prediction: Champions.
Dundee United
Manager: Jack Ross
Last season: Fourth
In: Steven Fletcher (Stoke, free), Craig Sibbald (Livingston, free), Logan Chalmers (Inverness, end of loan).
Out: Benjamin Siegrist (Celtic, free), Trevor Carson (St Mirren, free), Lewis Neilson (Hearts, free), Calum Butcher (Burton, free), Kevin McDonald (released), Adrian Sporle (released), Marc McNulty (end of loan), Max Biamou (released), Florent Hoti (released).
Chances: Will be looking to build on European qualification after the experienced Jack Ross replaced Tam Courts following his impressive debut season. Made a statement by spending almost £300,000 on Dylan Levitt following his influential loan from Manchester United, but could still do with some experienced additions.
Key Player: Dylan Levitt
Prediction: Fifth
Hearts
Manager: Robbie Neilson
Last season: Third
In: Alan Forrest (Livingston), Kye Rowles (Central Coast Mariners), Lewis Neilson (Dundee Utd), Jorge Grant (Peterborough), Lawrence Shankland (Beerschot, undisclosed).
Out: Aaron McEneff (Perth Glory, free), Ben Woodburn (end of loan), Ellis Simms (end of loan), Taylor Moore (end of loan), John Souttar (Rangers).
Chances: Might need to supplement their squad to cope with the demands of European group stage football but have achieved relative stability despite the blow of losing Souttar and Simms. Much could depend on whether Shankland can rediscover his goalscoring touch.
Key Player: Craig Gordon
Prediction: Third
Hibernian
His 1⃣8⃣th season with the Hibs First Team 🙌#GGTTH 🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ogdU6l6wMT
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) July 19, 2022
Manager: Lee Johnson
Last season: Eighth
In: Nohan Kenneh (Leeds), David Marshall (QPR), Momodou Bojang (Rainbow FC, loan), Lewis Miller (MacArthur), Jair Tavares (Benfica), Aiden McGeady (Sunderland), Elie Youan (St Gallen, loan), Marijan Cabraja (Dinamo Zagreb).
Out: Harry Clarke (Arsenal, end of loan), Paul McGinn (Motherwell, free), Scott Allan (released), Drey Wright (St Johnstone, free), Josh Doig (Hellas Verona, £3m), Sylvester Jasper (Fulham, end of loan), Matt Macey (Luton, undisclosed fee), James Scott (Hull, end of loan).
Chances: Johnson has made a stuttering start in the Premier Sports Cup and Hibs still have an air of a club that has undergone too many changes of late. There is quality in the squad if the new man can bring some stability.
Key Player: Ryan Porteous
Prediction: Seventh
Kilmarnock
Manager: Derek McInnes
Last season: Championship winners
In: Alan Power (St Mirren, free), Kerr McInroy (Celtic, free), Zach Hemming (Middlesbrough, loan), Lewis Mayo (Rangers, loan), Liam Donnelly (Motherwell, free), Joe Wright (Doncaster, free), Jordan Jones (Wigan, loan).
Out: Stephen McGinn (Falkirk, free), Brandon Haunstrup (Cambridge, free), Jason Naismith (Queen’s Park), Chris Burke (retired), Daniel MacKay, Dylan Tait, Dean Campbell and Declan Glass (loans ended).
Chances: A transitional period for Killie after a series of managerial changes and they still need to do some business to strengthen for the step up. But McInnnes has the nous and experience to steer them through difficult periods.
Key Player: Kyle Lafferty
Prediction: 10th
Livingston
Manager: David Martindale
Last season: Seventh
In: Phillip Cancar (Western Sydney Wanderers), Esmael Goncalves (Sheikh Russel), Scott Bitsindou (Lierse).
Out: Craig Sibbald (Dundee Utd), Alan Forrest (Hearts), Jack McMillan (Partick Thistle, free), Odin Bailey, Caleb Chukwuemeka and Adam Lewis (loans ended).
Chances: Livi were the form team outside of Celtic and Rangers after New Year and were seconds away from making the top six, so they will be aiming to start well. After a major transition 12 months ago, they have relative stability this summer, although they will miss Forrest in particular.
Key Player: Stephane Omeonga
Prediction: Sixth
Motherwell
Manager: Graham Alexander
Last season: Fifth
In: Blair Spittal (Ross County, free), Paul McGinn (Hibernian, free), Josh Morris (Salford, free), Max Johnston (Queen of the South, end of loan).
Out: Mark O’Hara (St Mirren), Liam Donnelly (Kilmarnock, free), Liam Shaw (Celtic, end of loan), Liam Grimshaw (released), Justin Amaluzor (Aldershot, free), Victor Nirrenold (released), Jordan Roberts (Stevenage, free), Kaiyne Woolery (Sakaryaspor, undisclosed).
Chances: Struggled after Tony Watt left in January and their strikeforce looks even less potent, although Spittal and Morris could add a different dimension to their forward play. Need to improve defensively and could be in trouble if anything happens to last season’s top goalscorer, Kevin van Veen.
Key Player: Liam Kelly
Prediction: Ninth
Rangers
🎯 @TomLawrence99 pic.twitter.com/fA3LiHzppS
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 20, 2022
Manager: Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Last season: Second
In: John Souttar (Hearts, free), Antonio Colak (PAOK, £1.8m), Tom Lawrence (Derby, free), Rabbi Matondo (Schalke, undisclosed), Malik Tillman (Bayern Munich, loan), Ben Davies (Liverpool, £4m).
Out: Joe Aribo (Southampton, £6m), Calvin Bassey (£19.6m), Leon Balogun (released), Amad Diallo (Man utd, end of loan), Cedric Itten (Young Boys, undisclosed), Aaron Ramsey (Juventus, end of loan).
Chances: Will be looking to show the form that got them to the Europa League final and clinched the Scottish Cup. If they do, they will be there or thereabouts come May, especially with van Bronckhorst having gained experience of managing in Scottish football after the mid-season departure of Steven Gerrard.
Key Player: James Tavernier
Prediction: Second
Ross County
Manager: Malky Mackay
Last season: Sixth
In: Victor Loturi (Cavalry FC), Yan Dhanda (Swansea), George Harmon (Oxford City), Owura Edwards (Bristol City, loan), Kazeem Olaigbe (Southampton, loan), Jordy Hiwula (Doncaster), Ben Purrington (Charlton), Jake Eastwood (Sheffield Utd, loan), Callum Johnson (Fleetwood), William Akio (Valour, undisclosed).
Out: Jake Vokins, Jack Burroughs, Kayne Ramsay, Declan Drysdale, Joseph Hungbo and Ashley Maynard-Brewer (loans ended), Blair Spittal (Motherwell, free), Regan Charles-Cook (Eupen, free).
Chances: After making 12 signings in his first summer in charge, Mackay is already on 10. County came on leaps and bounds after a slow start results wise last term and much will depend on how long the adaptation period is for their new signings. Mackay has faced a big challenge in replacing the creativity of Charles-Cook, Spittal and Hungbo.
Key Player: Jack Baldwin
Prediction: 11th
St Johnstone
Manager: Callum Davidson
Last season: 11th
In: Andrew Considine (Aberdeen, free), Drey Wright (Hibernian, free), Adam Montgomery (Celtic, loan), Graham Carey (CSKA Sofia free), Jamie Murphy (Hibernian, free).
Out: Zander Clark (unattached), Callum Hendry (Salford, free), Tom Sang (Cardiff, end of loan), Glenn Middleton (Rangers, end of loan), Craig Bryson, Nadir Ciftci and Efe Ambrose (all released), Jacob Butterfield (Scunthorpe, free), Jamie McCart (Rotherham, free).
Chances: A poor start to the Premier Sports Cup has suggested that Saints will have a season more akin to last term’s relegation battle than the double cup-winning campaign that preceded it. They already have a lengthy injury list and could do with adding more players, although Murphy’s arrival could prove an inspired move. But they struggled badly for goals last season and lost the man who fired them to safety, Hendry.
Key Player: Jamie Murphy
Prediction: 12th
St Mirren
Manager: Stephen Robinson
Last season: Ninth
In: Mark O’Hara (Motherwell), Trevor Carson (Dundee Utd), Jonah Ayunga (Morecambe), Toyosi Olusanya (Middlesbrough), Ryan Strain (Maccabi Haifa), Declan Gallagher (Aberdeen).
Out: Alan Power (Kilmarnock), Connor Ronan, Jordan Jones, Alex Gogic (loans ended), Matt Millar (Macarthur, free), Conor McCarthy (Barnsley, free), Jak Alnwick (Cardiff, free).
Chances: Robinson is up against it already after an early Premier Sports Cup exit. The Buddies need someone to get among the goals regularly with Eamonn Brophy hoping for better fitness fortunes.
Key Player: Declan Gallagher
Prediction: Eighth
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
