There’s no two ways about it, Dundee signing Dutchman Yordi Teijsse from amateur club Quick Boys is a gamble.
But it’s surely one gaffer Paul Hartley has entitled to take.
In the two years since he took on the job at Dens Park, Hartley has made his fair share of unexpected signings.
Some, like the loan deal that saw Spaniard Arturo come over in January, haven’t worked. German Luca Tankulic also failed to live up to early promise.
But, given the amount of players Hartley’s plucked out of the blue who’ve gone on to flourish in the Premiership, if any manager in our game right now is entitled to take a punt on someone most of us, or maybe in this case all of us, haven’t heard of, then maybe it’s the Dee gaffer.
By looking down the leagues in this country, he’s managed to get excellent shifts out of Greg Stewart and Paul McGinn, while it’s reasonable to expect there is a lot more to come from defender Julen Etxabeguren.
And he can point to the fact although top scorer Kane Hemmings may have arrived from Barnsley last summer, the first move for him was made when he was still at Cowdenbeath.
When he looked abroad, Hartley also got good value for money out of Kosta Gadzhalov.
Yes, he’s a squad player but the Bulgarian’s performances when called on have been solid and he came at the fraction of the cost a Scottish player of similar pedigree and experience would have.
Likewise, recently-departed German Thomas Konrad did enough to have his two years on Tayside rated worthwhile.
Of course, in Teijsse he’s gone down another grade or two, to the fourth tier of Dutch football in fact.
That means he’s taking more of a chance but it’s one worth taking.
The fact the 23-year-old comes from Holland is almost a guarantee that, technically, he will be more than sound.
Good, bad or indifferent, when it comes to being able to control and kick a football properly, very few from that part of the world are found lacking.
While he’s been operating in the fourth tier of Dutch football, the fact he’s just completed a season where he’s averaged more than a goal a game means it was worthwhile having a look at him.
And with Dundee having taken a long look, we should not be surprised if it turns out Hartley has unearthed another gem.
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