Gary Bowyer has made his fourth signing of the summer as Joe Grayson arrives at Dens Park.
The Dundee boss has made use of the loan market so far in his short time at the club, with Grayson joining Ben Williamson and Zach Robinson on temporary deals.
All three will be with the Dark Blues until the end of the season but what will Grayson bring to the squad?
Courier Sport takes a look at the background of the 23-year-old.
Club history
Highly thought of in the Blackburn academy, Grayson is yet to really kick on as a senior player.
The son of former Sunderland and Leeds boss Simon Grayson, an ex-Blackburn player himself, he captained the English Championship side’s U/23 team where he was coached by current Dundee No 2 Billy Barr.
Between loan spells at Grimsby Town – eight appearances, two goals – and Oxford United – six appearances, no goals – Grayson spent a year on the sidelines with injury.
And, after just two cup appearances for the senior side, Grayson was released by the Ewood Park outfit after 15 years at the club last summer.
Grayson then signed a two-year deal with Barrow and was a regular at the start and end of last season as the Bluebirds battled against the drop in League Two.
He played 26 times, scoring twice.
Position
The vast majority of his appearances last season saw Grayson used as a central defender, playing three times at left-back and once in defensive midfield.
A versatile player with a cultured left foot, his loan spell at Grimsby saw Grayson utilised further up the park in midfield and on the left flank.
The majority of his playing career, including his time with Blackburn U/23s, have seen him play at centre-back.
What they said
In 2019, the Daily Mail sent their ‘secret scout’ to watch Grayson play for Blackburn’s U/23 side.
In it, Grayson was described as a “tall, strapping left-footed centre-back who should have a fair career in the game”.
The article added: “With a hammer of a left foot he looked fond of the big cross-field ball to the opposite flank. He hit a couple of beauties.
“Grayson can also use the thrust of his left foot to push fast passes into his front players with accuracy. He did this well and showed other passing qualities.”
On the down side: “Very much left-footed, he seemed capable of marking a front-runner of pace over distances but got caught out by a short shallow run behind his back. That exposed his ability on the turn.
“Upright in stance, he needs to work on movement – nimbleness of feet – to be able to swing round more quickly. With his passing he tends to overuse that cross-field ball.”
Ahead of his loan to Oxford last February, U’s boss Karl Robinson said: “He’s one that we’ve watched for probably 12 months. He’s got a wand of a left foot.”
In early articles on their website, Blackburn described the young Grayson as “a set-piece expert”.
Future
Grayson has agreed a season-long loan at Dundee.
After that is completed, his contract with Barrow will expire meaning the 23-year-old is likely on the lookout for a new club come next summer.
Impress at Dens Park and he could get his career back on track.
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