Dundee United

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Dundee United are clearly hoping to get their squad rebuilding done early, with a number of arrivals already confirmed.

By the sounds of it there will be plenty more too.

But one bit of business could well be the club's most important of the summer transfer window – the return of goalkeeper Jack Walton on a three-year deal from Preston.

Walton is no stranger to Tannadice having proved an assured figure between the sticks there while on loan previously.

Since he left last summer, the goalkeeping position has proved problematic for manager Jim Goodwin.

Yevhen Kucherenko, Dave Richards and Ashley Maynard-Brewer all had spells with the gloves during a frustrating campaign for United, who finished seventh.

Goodwin's side managed just seven clean sheets, the joint second worst in the league alongside neighbours Dundee.

Walton boasted 12 shutouts the season before.

The hope will be the Englishman's return on a permanent basis can restore more stability as United look to get back in the top six and European mix next season.

Midfielder Emmanuel Agyei, 21, made his senior international debut in Ghana's 2-0 defeat by Mexico and defender Dario Naamo, 21, could become the next Dundee United player to be capped, with Iraq facing Andorra on Friday. (Courier - subscription required), external

Saturday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Goalkeeper Jack Walton has joined Dundee United on a three-year deal, returning to the club a year after his loan spell ended.

Walton, 28, was previously loaned to United by Luton Town from 2023 to 2025 and then joined Preston North End.

The Englishman made 85 appearances for the Tannadice club, who were in the Championship for the first of his two seasons and in the Premiership for the latter.

"Jack was exceptional for us across the two seasons he was here and bringing him back to the football club was something we were extremely keen to make happen," manager Jim Goodwin told United's website.

"His performances, consistency and leadership qualities made him one of the standout goalkeepers in the country during his time here previously."

And Walton said: "I'm absolutely delighted to be back. Dundee United is a club that means a lot to me and from the moment I left, I always hoped there would be an opportunity to return one day.

"As soon as I became aware of the opportunity to come back, it was something I really wanted to make happen."

Derby County have joined the race for Dundee United defender Will Ferry, but face competition from fellow Championship clubs Blackburn Rovers and Charlton Athletic. (Daily Record), external

Vicko Sevelj is pleased to have had his Dundee United contract extended by a year, but has left the door open for a longer-term deal at Tannadice. (Courier), external

Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

In our Dundee United fan's voice column, Tannadice diehard Ronny Costello described their campaign as being "a hard season to mark" and I couldn't have put it better myself.

There were a few highs and a few lows but in the eyes of some of the punters the campaign was a bit "meh" as they finished seventh - top of the bottom six.

While they were in no danger of getting sucked in to the relegation battle Jim Goodwin's side were confined to the Premiership's no man's land.

There are certainly issues Goodwin will need to address next season if they are to kick on and challenge for Europe, or at least cement their top six place.

A few basic stats highlight the task in hand.

This term United won just 10 of their 38 league games, just over a quarter, compared to 15 last season.

And while they scored more goals this term (49 compared to 45 in the 2024/25 season), they drew more games as well - 15 this season compared to eight last term.

That negative points swing has had a huge bearing on United's fortunes - the challenge now will be to try and get that pendulum swinging in the other direction once again.

It is going to be a summer of change at United, with Goodwin admitting business is likely to be brisk during the forthcoming transfer window, business which is well underway with a number of new faces already confirmed as coming in.

A turnaround of players is never a guarantee of a turnaround in fortunes but if the United boss can get them to gel quickly, then perhaps this time next year the Tannadice faithful will be thinking about looking out their passports.

Image source, SNS

United fans, we asked for your views on Ross Graham and Vicko Sevelj's contract extensions as well as your thoughts on the players coming to the end of their deals and leaving Tannadice.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Sandy: Despite a few cameo appearances, all Arabs could see the vision and game management that Johnny Russell brought to the team. It's baffling that an agreement couldn't be made to keep him on as a player/coach. He would have been perfect foil for bringing on United's strikers, almost akin to the work done in the past by Gordon Wallace, Walter Smith et al in the 1970s and 80s.

Sean: Especially good news that Sevelj is staying, one of the best signings of recent years. Disappointed that Craig Sibbald is leaving (another good signing) and that we didn't see the best of Kristijan Trapanovski due to his injuries

Ewen: No surprises really in the list of released players. Great to see Ross and Vicko have their options triggered, hopefully deals can be agreed on substantial extensions for both . We need to be active in the market this summer as we cannot afford a repetition of the season just finished.

Frank: Happy that Sevelj and Graham are staying but sorry to see Amar Fatah and Luca Stephenson go. The rest won't be missed, particularly Max Watters who has been outstandingly anonymous all season.

Ross: On balance a good move although, like most of the squad, both players suffered from inconsistent form this season. We did Ross no favours making him captain in a young, inexperienced back three that leaked goals on a regular basis. Personally I thought Will Ferry did better when he stood in as captain. Vicko is a valuable utility player who hopefully can regain some of his confidence and composure on the ball next season

Kenny: United should keep centre half Krisztian Keresztes as he's been outstanding most times this season, its others who have let the team down.

Australia right-back Ryan Strain has interest from the A-League as the 29-year-old considers his future after being released by Dundee United at the end of an injury-hit season. (The Courier), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, SNS

Dundee United have triggered options to extend captain Ross Graham and midfielder Vicko Sevelj's contracts for a further 12 months, while Kristijan Trapanovski and Ryan Strain are among the departures.

Croatian Sevelj joined from NK Radomlje of Slovenia in 2024 and was named United's player of the year last term. The 25-year-old made 40 appearances this season.

Academy graduate Graham, 25, has made more than 100 appearances for the club. The defender returned from a four-month hamstring injury lay-off to play 24 times this season, netting three goals.

The pair will now stay at Tannadice until the end of next season, with United "remaining in dialogue with both players regarding longer-term extensions".

Australia defender Strain and North Macedonia winger Trapanovski exit after two seasons at Tannadice, while Craig Sibbald leaves to rejoin Falkirk.

United have offered Trapanovski "ongoing rehabilitation and medical support throughout the summer" as the 26-year-old recovers from knee surgery.

Also leaving Tannadice are Johnny Russell, Max Watters, Ashley Maynard-Brewer and Isaac Pappoe. Loan players Luca Stephenson, Amar Fatah, Krisztian Keresztes and Ivan Dolcek return to their parent clubs.

United fans, are you happy to see Graham and Sevelj stay for another year at least? Should any of the departing players have been kept on? Let us know your thoughts.

Image source, SNS

Dundee United right-back Dario Naamo has been named in Iraq's provisional World Cup squad after having his request to switch allegiance from Finland approved by world governing body Fifa.

Born to a Finnish mother and a Kurdish father, he grew up in the Espoo region, where he progressed through the youth academy of local club Honka.

Naamo, who turned 21 last week, has played at youth level up to under-21s for Finland but makes the switch in time to be considered by head coach Graham Arnold for this summer's finals in the Americas.

The 35 players will enter a preparatory camp in Spain and will be reduced to 26 on 1 June before facing the Spanish in a friendly three days later.

Iraq then take on Norway, France and Senegal in Group I.

Naamo joined United from Austrian club St Polten last summer and has made 21 appearances, although only nine have been starts.

Ronny Costello
Fan writer

This was a hard season to mark.

There were enough good days to stop it being bad. Europe. Beating Celtic twice at Tannadice. Two derby wins.

But there were enough poor days to stop it being good.

The cup exits hurt. Kilmarnock became a problem United never solved, Motherwell exposed the same issues and away from home, too many games got away from us.

That is the story of the season. United could look sharp, brave and dangerous one week then flat, loose and vulnerable the next.

Forty-nine league goals scored is decent but failing to score in 12 league games is not. Sixty goals conceded tells its own story, you cannot build a top-six season on that.

Jim Goodwin deserves credit for the big results and for keeping real danger at arm's length but he will know this team should have done more.

Too many soft goals. Too many draws. Too many slow starts. Too many late goals. Too many missed chances to turn a decent season into a strong one.

Seventh place feels about right. Safe, but not satisfying. Respectable, but frustrating.

So was it consolidation, progress or a missed chance? Probably all three.

United stayed up. They gave us big moments but they also left plenty behind.

Next season has to be about balance. Play on the front foot, get fans off their seats with exciting football and for me, a change of formation.

Oh, and fix the defending.

Another summer rebuild is ahead of us and the small matter of Scotland in the World Cup...

Ronny Costello can be found at the Dode Fox Podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Dundee United ended their season with a 1-1 draw against St Mirren.

Here's what some of you had to say:

George: Drifted through the last few games and finished seventh, not good enough. Jim Goowin says he knows what went wrong but also says he is happy up front? What! With strikers who can't hit the net on a regular basis. There are problems all over and we are about to lose some of the better players I think. Another rebuild needed Jim, starting with a reliable goalkeeper and dominant centre half. If he can find a twenty goal a season striker as well we'll be top six next season. Be brave Jim and good luck.

Tam: Outplayed for the fourth game in a row to end a desperately poor season. It's not just finishing in the bottom six, it's the dreadful football we endure watching the manager's 3-4-3 formation which rarely works. Add to that young goalkeeper Ruairidh Adams once again not given a chance, whereas perpetual liability Keresztes is picked yet again, Goodwin must be blind to all his defensive blunders repeatedly costing us goals this season.

Eddie: Goodwin's time should be up. Really bored of his tactics and hopeless team selections. He never sets his team up to win, 15 draws speaks for itself.

Frank: I'm all for giving managers/head coaches time but when you look at United's squad and consider who has improved under Jim Goodwin? In my opinion not one player.

A 15th draw of the season for Dundee United, who finish the season comfortably best of the bottom six.

Read the report.

Have your say here.

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "We are disappointed with the position we find ourselves in, but the campaign as a whole has not been a disaster. We were caught in that little bit of limbo, not being able to catch those above us and never involved in the relegation battle.

"The experience of Europe was great and we've added some real quality players to the group. We have genuine valuable assets available to us. On and off the pitch, the club is in a good place.

"We know the areas we need to strengthen.

"We're relatively pleased with the top end of the pitch. Defensively, we need to tighten up.

"It's clear where the problems have been for us, we've conceded far too many goals. Three goalkeepers across the season is not ideal."

Image source, SNS

St Mirren will likely make changes ahead of the play-offs while Declan John (hernia), Dan Nlundulu (thigh), Shamal George (ankle), Ryan Mullen (thigh), Jonah Ayunga (knee), Malik Dijksteel (groin) and Keanu Baccus (Achilles) remain out.

Dundee United wing-back Will Ferry has joined up with the Republic of Ireland squad but Emmanuel Agyei returns from suspension. Dario Naamo (foot), Amar Fatah, Luca Stephenson (both hamstring), Kristijan Trapanovski, Isaac Pappoe (both knee) and goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer (shoulder) remain out.

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has one eye on next season when his side head to St Mirren for their final game of the Premiership campaign.

After finishing fourth last term it's been a disappointing campaign for United who secured seventh place following a goalless draw against Livingston on Tuesday night.

And with nothing left to play for this term Goodwin has no worries about mixing things up for the trip to Paisley.

"I would imagine St Mirren will rest a number of their key players with one eye on the play-offs, so we don't know what starting XI we will face," he said.

"But I will make changes myself, as we have done in the previous few fixtures.

"Trying to be fair to the squad, trying to get everybody valuable minutes, and trying to look at one or two things with one eye on next season as well."

Image source, SNS

• St Mirren haven't won their final league match in any of the past five seasons (D3 L2). Excluding the curtailed 2019-20 campaign, they last won on matchday 38 in the Scottish Premiership in 2018-19 (3-2 v Dundee).

• Dundee United have failed to score in three successive league games, last doing so in four in a row in the Scottish Premiership in December 2021.

• United have only lost their final game in one of their past six Scottish Premiership seasons (W4 D1), a 3-2 defeat to Motherwell in 2022-23.

• St Mirren have won two of their past four top-flight home games against United (L2), more than their previous 18 beforehand (W1 D9 L8).

• United have won five of their past seven Scottish Premiership matches against St Mirren (L2), including most recently in March (2-1).

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Dundee United have secured their status as the top team of the bottom six - not that Jim Goodwin is breaking out the champagne.

The United manager said of the achievement: "We're not going to celebrate because it's not what we set out to achieve at the beginning of the season."

It has certainly been a frustrating campaign for those of a Tangerine persuasion and is perhaps summed up by the fact they fell over the line to seal a seventh-place finish with a goalless home draw against already-relegated Livingston.

That result followed back-to-back away defeats to Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.

Where they have ended up is "way short of what we would expect", says Goodwin. So there is plenty of work to do to get United back to where they feel they belong next season – in the top six.

That work is well under way with a number of players already agreeing to join in the summer. More will follow, while there will undoubtedly be a few exits.

Goodwin says he knows the areas that need to be addressed. He has been craving consistency this season, but to get that they need to add a bit of a resilience.

It was a squad built on solid foundations last season, finishing a lofty fourth on their return to the top flight.

On too many occasions this time round there has been a brittleness, all over the park, which has cost them dearly. But if that can be fixed during the summer there is no reason United can't get back in the mix for European places next season.

Jana McCabe
BBC Sport NI journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Dundee United defender Will Ferry has been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for Saturday's friendly against Grenada (17:00 BST).

The 25-year-old has joined the side in Murcia and is aiming to make his senior debut after representing Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side face Grenada at the Estadio Nueva Condomina before welcoming Qatar to the Aviva Stadium on 28 May in another friendly.

Ferry has played a key role for Dundee United this season and scored twice and assisted the other goal during their recent 3-0 derby win against rivals Dundee.

He was also named Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for April and has made 33 appearances this season.

The wing-back will aim to make a similar impact at international level, with club manager Jim Goodwin expressing his interest in keeping Ferry amid reported interest from "a number of other clubs" in recent weeks.

As a result of the friendlies falling outside Fifa's international window, clubs are not obliged to release their players.

However, earlier in the week it was announced that Newcastle United midfielder Rory Finneran had received his first call-up to the senior side.

Cardiff City defender Joel Bagan and Ipswich Town winger Kasey McAteer have both been ruled out through injury, having being included in the initial squad.

Dundee United defender Dario Naamo will be fit to go to this summer's World Cup, if he accepts a call-up from Iraq. (Courier), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

United fans, we asked for your views on Tuesday night's goalless draw against relegated Livingston which secured a seventh-place finish.

Here's what some of you said:

Mierse: Interesting to hear Jim Goodwin say that some of the squad played their last game at Tannadice last night, it must be a pretty long list. We need less journeyman mercenaries and more skilled artisans looking to get noticed. This season was part of a journey - a huge influx of new players, some clicked, some didn't. Hopefully the new intake will bring a better balance to the team.

Gordon: We staggered over the line. Seventh is not great but it's all we could get. The loss of key players meant the last few games have been dull and unexciting. On to next season and cheerio to a few players we'll not miss, they know who they are. A big rebuilding job.

Euan: I joked with my son after the game that Jim would talk about the positives in his view of keeping a clean sheet and securing seventh place. Read the room, that was a dire display and the fans around us and people leaving the ground were of the same opinion. If he can't see what's happening in front of his own eyes he will never be able to fix it. Time for Goodwin to go or I fear a relegation battle for us next season.

Sean: Enough of Goodwin. How can we draw with the team relegated? We were unable to create more than one worthwhile chance. How do Livingston have more possession? It was torture, please just go.

Ian: A garbage, insipid performance which Goodwin will talk up to hide his shortcomings. There were zero positives - his post-split record every season is abysmal.

Jim: With Emmanuel Agyei, Amar Fatah and Luca Stephenson missing we can give United a bit of leeway for this performance but not much. The infamous back-three system got the runaround again from Stevie May and company but luckily VAR intervened and it stayed goalless and the position of seventh-place mediocrity is ours. We now have a nothing game at the weekend, isn't bottom six wonderful.

‌Dundee United right-back Dario Naamo has officially switched international allegiances from Finland to Iraq so the 20-year-old can play in this summer's World Cup., (The Courier), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Watch all the action as Dundee United played out a goalless draw against relegated side Livingston. Available to UK users only.

Dundee United will finish top of the Scottish Premiership's bottom six after completing their home campaign with a goalless draw against relegated Livingston.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.