Scottish player transfers

[syecosse]

27 minutes ago, csinclair said:

Rory Wilson reported to be going to Sturm Graz on loan 

Done deal,we finally get to see him jopefully get first team footy and hopefully scores like he has. 

 

Another move that was close on deadline day was Calvin Miller to Celtic. 

[Caledonian Craig]

1 hour ago, syecosse said:

Done deal,we finally get to see him jopefully get first team footy and hopefully scores like he has. 

 

Another move that was close on deadline day was Calvin Miller to Celtic. 

Great. Let's see what he can do at full level. It could be exciting following his progress and hopefully rise in the game.

[Tartan blood]

3 hours ago, csinclair said:

Rory Wilson reported to be going to Sturm Graz on loan 

About time he gets some senior football. I know he's had some bad injuries that have held him back, but it feels like we've been hearing about him for a decade. Fingers crossed he turns out to be our striker version of Gannon-Doak.

[Tartan blood]

3 hours ago, syecosse said:

Done deal,we finally get to see him jopefully get first team footy and hopefully scores like he has. 

 

Another move that was close on deadline day was Calvin Miller to Celtic. 

Calvin Miller once got the accolade of being the best player in the world for his age group. Think that was when he was 15 or 16. So he clearly had bucket loads of potential. Would be great to see him turn into an international.

[ProudScot]

Calvin Miller is brilliant and is having a good season. Glad he didn’t move to Celtic to sit on the bench. 
 

The Rory Wilson loan move is great too, happy with that 

[Hertsscot]

On 2/5/2026 at 9:03 PM, BryanBlessed said:

It's a crazy move. He's be better doing what Finlay Curtis did and going out on loan here. It's hard to think of any other player in Scotland who's gone from squad player in Scotland to development team in England.

It's a strange move but Spurs have got a couple of teenagers on the bench, so maybe Wilson could be in match day squads sooner than we'd expect.

[Hertsscot]

15 hours ago, Tartan blood said:

About time he gets some senior football. I know he's had some bad injuries that have held him back, but it feels like we've been hearing about him for a decade. Fingers crossed he turns out to be our striker version of Gannon-Doak.

I'm always amused when he's described as a wonder kid. He's 20 and never played a game of first team football. Hopefully the loan works out for him.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

It's a strange move but Spurs have got a couple of teenagers on the bench, so maybe Wilson could be in match day squads sooner than we'd expect.

That would be great but it's highly unlikely. All the Hearts forward line are considerably better than him ( probably even Kabore) and none of them would get close to the Spurs squad. I'm not saying it's out of the question he becomes a top player but I don't think it's going to happen in the next few months.

[Diamond Scot]

5 hours ago, BryanBlessed said:

That would be great but it's highly unlikely. All the Hearts forward line are considerably better than him ( probably even Kabore) and none of them would get close to the Spurs squad. I'm not saying it's out of the question he becomes a top player but I don't think it's going to happen in the next few months.

Wilson hasnt been brought down to Spurs with the 1st team in mind.

They want to have a look at him beside other talent at the same age and decide whether he is worth 2.5 million which they then might be able to turn into 8 million in a few years time. 

The financial rules in England have resulted in all the top team doing this. Especially as the rules around loans have been tightened. Theres loads of spreadsheet sales going on where a former academy player goes to Club B for stupid money which frees up funds for team A to buy a player from Team B because the academy players cost starts at zero (or close to it)

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Diamond Scot said:

Wilson hasnt been brought down to Spurs with the 1st team in mind.

They want to have a look at him beside other talent at the same age and decide whether he is worth 2.5 million which they then might be able to turn into 8 million in a few years time. 

The financial rules in England have resulted in all the top team doing this. Especially as the rules around loans have been tightened. Theres loads of spreadsheet sales going on where a former academy player goes to Club B for stupid money which frees up funds for team A to buy a player from Team B because the academy players cost starts at zero (or close to it)

I don't disagree with any of that but, on paper at least, he's probably better than what he's going to. He has several goals and first-team appearances for Hearts plus a Scotland cap (even if undeserved).  I'd be curious to see how many of the players he's going to play with and against make it at a professional level and how many make it at a top level. Mikey Moore came from Tottenham but he left to get first-team football. James Wilson is guaranteed not to get it in England. 

[Diamond Scot]

1 hour ago, BryanBlessed said:

I don't disagree with any of that but, on paper at least, he's probably better than what he's going to. He has several goals and first-team appearances for Hearts plus a Scotland cap (even if undeserved).  I'd be curious to see how many of the players he's going to play with and against make it at a professional level and how many make it at a top level. Mikey Moore came from Tottenham but he left to get first-team football. James Wilson is guaranteed not to get it in England. 

He wasnt getting 1st team football for Hearts and having 4 months of exposure to the Spurs academy will be good for him and for them. Its a win win as far as im concerned.

He gets to see the standard to make it at the top level and they get to have a look at him to see if they can develop him into a 1st team player. (If not at Spurs then at a level where they can sell on at a profit)

I watched a documentary bit on Billy Gilmour which im sure was on Chelsea TV. The level of coaching and individual analysis that goes into academy players in the EPL is probably more than 1st team in the SPFL. Gilmour had a dietry plan based around him, he got something like an hours worth of DVD footage every day which was a mix of his games showing him how to improve and then players in his position to show how they do it etc. He has an individual gym plan and then also individual attributes that he had to work on etc.

Its that type of detail that turns potential into top talent.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Diamond Scot said:

He wasnt getting 1st team football for Hearts and having 4 months of exposure to the Spurs academy will be good for him and for them. Its a win win as far as im concerned.

He gets to see the standard to make it at the top level and they get to have a look at him to see if they can develop him into a 1st team player. (If not at Spurs then at a level where they can sell on at a profit)

I watched a documentary bit on Billy Gilmour which im sure was on Chelsea TV. The level of coaching and individual analysis that goes into academy players in the EPL is probably more than 1st team in the SPFL. Gilmour had a dietry plan based around him, he got something like an hours worth of DVD footage every day which was a mix of his games showing him how to improve and then players in his position to show how they do it etc. He has an individual gym plan and then also individual attributes that he had to work on etc.

Its that type of detail that turns potential into top talent.

Honestly, I think it helps but I feel like it's just peripheral. Top class coaching is great but would anyone disagree that first-team football is the most important thing? Look how rusty players are when they come back from injury despite having been in training for weeks. 

He has played for Hearts this season. Granted not that much but, at the same time, he's not good enough for a team that has title aspirations. McInnes said he would have sent him out on loan in Scotland. I can see why he chose Tottenham but I think it's a poor choice.

[Souness]

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Edited February 7 by Souness

[Tartan blood]

11 hours ago, BryanBlessed said:

Honestly, I think it helps but I feel like it's just peripheral. Top class coaching is great but would anyone disagree that first-team football is the most important thing? Look how rusty players are when they come back from injury despite having been in training for weeks. 

He has played for Hearts this season. Granted not that much but, at the same time, he's not good enough for a team that has title aspirations. McInnes said he would have sent him out on loan in Scotland. I can see why he chose Tottenham but I think it's a poor choice.

We all agree first team football is vital for a player's development. But they also have to be ready for it. Throwing someone into the thick of it too soon could wreck their confidence. I'm not saying that is the case for James Wilson, but he is only 18, and looks it.

If he got, say, 12 months in the Spurs academy before being sent out on loan, I don't think it would hinder his long term goals. It would probably benefit him.

Is Spurs u23s team, with elite level coaching, worse than playing in the championship, which is probably where he'd have gone? Hard to say.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Tartan blood said:

We all agree first team football is vital for a player's development. But they also have to be ready for it. Throwing someone into the thick of it too soon could wreck their confidence. I'm not saying that is the case for James Wilson, but he is only 18, and looks it.

If he got, say, 12 months in the Spurs academy before being sent out on loan, I don't think it would hinder his long term goals. It would probably benefit him.

Is Spurs u23s team, with elite level coaching, worse than playing in the championship, which is probably where he'd have gone? Hard to say.

Almost defintely, I'd say. Any age group team is limited by the age group and I don't think there are any under-23 teams where every player will go on to play in the championship or above. Even if they did, they're not at that level currently.

Plus, they don't have the fans on their back and I don't even know if the results matter that much.

 

[vanderark14]

12 hours ago, Diamond Scot said:

He wasnt getting 1st team football for Hearts and having 4 months of exposure to the Spurs academy will be good for him and for them. Its a win win as far as im concerned.

He gets to see the standard to make it at the top level and they get to have a look at him to see if they can develop him into a 1st team player. (If not at Spurs then at a level where they can sell on at a profit)

I watched a documentary bit on Billy Gilmour which im sure was on Chelsea TV. The level of coaching and individual analysis that goes into academy players in the EPL is probably more than 1st team in the SPFL. Gilmour had a dietry plan based around him, he got something like an hours worth of DVD footage every day which was a mix of his games showing him how to improve and then players in his position to show how they do it etc. He has an individual gym plan and then also individual attributes that he had to work on etc.

Its that type of detail that turns potential into top talent.

The first sentence is all that needs said. Wilson isnt getting game time at Hearts anyway. Of course hes going to say yes If hes given a choice on deadline day to continue developing in better facilities and better coaches. 

[Diamond Scot]

1st team football is the end goal but I dont agree that its always the best way to develop a player. 

It depends on the player aswell. Some humans will naturally do what gets them success. So a striker for example playing at a lower level (say Scottish Championship) will always shoot with his better foot if he is given enough time to take a touch an shift it. He could be scoring goals every game and people think he is a success, but when he moves up a level he doesnt get the same time and doesnt have the skill or technique to take it 1st time with his weaker foot. These are the types of things that players can work on in less pressured games and with specific instructions. Ie the same striker at Spurs might have it as part of his development package to concentrate on taking the ball 1st time with either foot.

[Tartan blood]

45 minutes ago, Diamond Scot said:

1st team football is the end goal but I dont agree that its always the best way to develop a player. 

It depends on the player aswell. Some humans will naturally do what gets them success. So a striker for example playing at a lower level (say Scottish Championship) will always shoot with his better foot if he is given enough time to take a touch an shift it. He could be scoring goals every game and people think he is a success, but when he moves up a level he doesnt get the same time and doesnt have the skill or technique to take it 1st time with his weaker foot. These are the types of things that players can work on in less pressured games and with specific instructions. Ie the same striker at Spurs might have it as part of his development package to concentrate on taking the ball 1st time with either foot.

That's a very good point. Playing football builds confidence and will make you as good as you need to be for the level you are playing at. But, as you say, that can be quite limiting.

I think Gilmour and Gannon-Doak have had the almost optimal development. Both were at Big 6 EPL clubs and training with the senior players at a very young age.  So they got elite coaching but also were training with some of the best players in the world. They were both then given loan opportunities when they were ready. I see BDG and Gilmour both going on to break our caps record.

The one big argument against James Wilson going to Spurs is it seems he won't be training with the senior squad. Though I could be wrong about that.

[csinclair]

Wilson playing his first game for Spurs U21s right now. Matthew Craig playing too who I didn’t realise was still at Spurs

[syecosse]

3 hours ago, csinclair said:

Wilson playing his first game for Spurs U21s right now. Matthew Craig playing too who I didn’t realise was still at Spurs

Not sure of the injury but has had nearly a year out. 

[Guest]

21 hours ago, Diamond Scot said:

1st team football is the end goal but I dont agree that its always the best way to develop a player. 

It depends on the player aswell. Some humans will naturally do what gets them success. So a striker for example playing at a lower level (say Scottish Championship) will always shoot with his better foot if he is given enough time to take a touch an shift it. He could be scoring goals every game and people think he is a success, but when he moves up a level he doesnt get the same time and doesnt have the skill or technique to take it 1st time with his weaker foot. These are the types of things that players can work on in less pressured games and with specific instructions. Ie the same striker at Spurs might have it as part of his development package to concentrate on taking the ball 1st time with either foot.

Surely another way to learn that is to gradually move up the leagues and/or to better clubs? I suppose every player is different but I don't think Hearts have terrible coaches.

 

Anyway, this is what Wilson has gone to and it's hard to say it's anything other than à step down.

 

 

[Diamond Scot]

1 hour ago, BryanBlessed said:

Surely another way to learn that is to gradually move up the leagues and/or to better clubs? I suppose every player is different but I don't think Hearts have terrible coaches.

 

Anyway, this is what Wilson has gone to and it's hard to say it's anything other than à step down.

 

 

As you say, every player is different but there is a reason why every elite club in the world has an academy setup. If it was just game time and learning as you move up the levels then they would just loan every youth player out to the conference and league 2 etc.

[er yir macaroon]

Luke Graham seems to be in the papers quite often as being of transfer interest. It would be good to see him and Jack Milne head to Italy. I think that could be our centre half pairing in a couple of years. They would learn so much there as first eleven players. 

[syecosse]

New deals for Newcastle pair Oliver Goodbrand 17 RB and Alfie Hutchinson 16 S signed from Rangers in the summer, Hutchinson recently made his u21 debut. 

[breeks_mctavish]

4 hours ago, er yir macaroon said:

Luke Graham seems to be in the papers quite often as being of transfer interest. It would be good to see him and Jack Milne head to Italy. I think that could be our centre half pairing in a couple of years. They would learn so much there as first eleven players. 

Good comment. Imagine having our central defenders schooled in Italy!