Dundee’s latest debutant Imari Samuels made a strong impression in his first few minutes in a dark blue shirt.
The 21-year-old was sent on in the heat of a Dundee derby with his side holding on to a 1-0 lead with 83 minutes on the clock.
He showed his ability at both ends of the park including a strong run down the left that set up a late chance for Simon Murray as he played his part in a big win for his new team.
Manager Tony Docherty said the cameo would do the player “the world of good”.
What, though, can Dees expect from Samuels at Dens Park after he agreed a two-and-a-half year deal?
Background
Londoner Samuels spent almost a decade with Reading’s youth academy before leaving in 2020.
He was highly-thought-of at the Madjeski but didn’t make the step up to first-team action.
Injury requiring surgery played a part in that, though he did feature 38 times in Premier League Two.
Samuels did train with the first-team squad but then-manager Paul Ince wanted the full-back to get experience out on loan before throwing him into Championship football.
The Premier League winner said of Samuels: “When you are talking about 46 games, it is a demanding league.
“We could bring [Samuels] in and he does well, but to play 46 games, you need seasoned full-backs for that.
“But listen, he is a talented kid and some of these kids need to get experience out on loan before they come into the first team and that should be the way.”
There would be no loan for Samuels, however. A week later he had left for Brighton after turning down a new deal at Reading.
On signing him, Seagulls coach Andrew Crofts described the youngster as “an exciting talent, who can play on either side and who likes to attack”.
Samuels went straight into the Brighton U/23 side and was a regular in their U/21 team that featured in the Football League Trophy against senior sides like Walsall, Shrewsbury and Wycombe Wanderers.
First team action
Last season saw Samuels take a place on the bench in the Premier League as Brighton made the long journey north to Newcastle.
But he had to wait until August to make his Brighton debut in a heated clash with Crawley Town. A bad tackle saw Seagulls new boy Matt O’Riley injured early on and tempers frayed at the Amex.
Samuels played 71 minutes as the Premier League side ran out 4-0 winners.
But that was the extent of his senior experience with the Seagulls.
Last season he joined Charlie Adam’s Fleetwood Town on loan for the final few months of the season.
The Cod Army battled off the foot of the League One table but were relegated on the final day of the campaign.
Samuels would only feature four times during the loan spell with just one start. That saw the youngster subbed at half-time with Fleetwood 3-0 down to promotion chasing Oxford United.
His appearance off the bench for Dundee this week was just the sixth first-team outing of his fledgling career.
International
Samuels is well known in the England youth setup, winning caps at U/15, U/16, U/17 and U/20 levels.
In doing so he has been a team-mate of world superstar Jude Bellingham, Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, £20 million man Carney Chukwuemeka as well as Hearts defender Daniel Oyegoke.
He’s also faced Celtic’s £11m summer signing Arne Engels when taking on Belgium at U/15 level.
In 2023 he travelled with England to Argentina for the U/20 World Cup where he featured twice.
His first outing came as a late sub in front of 27,000 fans at the Estadio Unico Diego Armando Maradona, Argentina’s national stadium in La Plata.
England won that game before Samuels started a 0-0 draw against Iraq that saw the side through to the knockout stages before they were eliminated in the next round by Italy.
Dundee expectations
Samuels is mainly a left-back or left wing-back but is comfortable switching to the right flank and has played in central defence as well.
The 21-year-old is expected to challenge the returning Ziyad Larkeche for the left wing-back spot as he builds up first-team experience.
That versatility, though, could prove handy for the Dee as they look to push up the Premiership table.
Manager Tony Docherty is delighted to sign the player after keeping a long eye on his situation at Brighton.
“Imari has always been on my radar since I came to the club,” the Dark Blues gaffer said.
“He is one we have targeted in every window.
“He’s a really talented left-back/wing-back, who moved for quite a bit of money from Reading to Brighton.
“I am delighted the club have backed us in making it a permanent deal because I feel there is real potential to develop him.
“The pleasing thing for me is that he had other suitors but he, his agent and representatives saw the development other players have had here.
“He has real finesse and is a very good player.
“He is very technical and good on the ball, has pace and a wand of a left foot with brilliant delivery.
“There are things in his game we have to develop but between him and Ziyad Larkeche, what I always want is real competition.
“Imari brings in real quality.”
Samuels is now pushing for a first start when Dundee travel to Celtic on Saturday.
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