Dundee are a club with connections to two partner clubs – how much have those connections benefited the Dark Blues in the past two seasons?
The Dee have been teamed up with Burnley for over a year and have seen a number of young Clarets cut their teeth in the Scottish Premiership.
Since then, another ‘strategic partnership’ came to light, with Mexican club CF Monterrey adding a trans-Atlantic vibe to life in the Dens Park dressing-room.
Both links have brought loan players to the club.
Courier Sport assesses how successful the deals have been.
Marcel Lewis
Former youth star Lewis arrived from Burnley before the official partnership was confirmed.
But the link was brewing with former Dundee skipper Charlie Adam then loans manager at Turf Moor.
However, Lewis made no impact on the Dark Blues first team and after six months headed back to Burnley without a single first-team appearance.
He was released by Burnley last summer before joining Isthmian League North side Cambridge City. In February he left them to drop to seventh-tier strugglers AFC Sudbury.
Verdict: Miss
Dara Costelloe
Versatile Irish youngster Costelloe was next off the rank, though not without a hint of controversy.
He ditched a loan at Tayside rivals St Johnstone to join up with Dundee for the second half of the season.
And his first moments in dark blue didn’t go to plan after giving away possession before Kilmarnock scored inside 20 seconds at Rugby Park.
He made 17 appearances for the club, but early promise faded fairly quickly and Costelloe spent more and more time on the bench.
Costelloe joined League Two Accrington Stanley on loan for the start of this season, scoring five goals in 17 appearances, before moving up to League One with Northampton Town.
He also penned a new Burnley deal in January that will keep him at the club until 2026.
Verdict: Miss
Owen Dodgson
Dodgson was next, coming in to help plug the gap left by Owen Beck’s initial return to Liverpool.
Beck would come back to Dundee, but injury gave Dodgson the chance to impress at left wing-back.
Early on, a nasty habit of giving away penalties proved a problem, but the former Manchester United kid grew into a solid player at Dens Park and his wicked deliveries from the left flank added some attacking threat.
After an injury-hit season, Dodgson is back out on loan, this time with former Dundee boss Gary Bowyer at Burton Albion.
Verdict: Hit
Michael Mellon
Talented young striker Mellon made a big impact on his debut, with a superb goal helping to beat Livingston away from home.
After a prolific first-half of the campaign at Morecambe, the hope was Mellon would bring the goals to fire Dundee into the top six.
It didn’t quite work out and a nasty head knock against St Johnstone set the Scotland U/21 striker back.
He finished his time at Dundee with three goals in 14 games and went on to join League One promotion hopefuls Stockport County on loan last summer.
That move didn’t work out and, after just two appearances, he dropped to League Two with Bradford City, where he’s struck twice in nine matches for the Bantams.
Verdict: Neither hit nor miss
Julien Vetro
French winger Vetro was picked up by Burnley after the financial collapse at Bordeaux.
However, despite some glimpses of quality, the speedy winger failed to nail down regular game time during his time at Dundee and his season-long loan was cut short in January.
Vetro played six times in total with his final two appearances both coming against Rangers.
Verdict: Miss
Seun Adewumi
Austrian U/21 international Adewumi has been the star of Dundee’s strategic partnerships.
Learning to live in a new country hasn’t been easy and form has fluctuated for the youngster.
But the Burnley prospect’s explosive pace and finishing ability have been key to some of Dundee’s best wins this term.
He’s on five goals in 26 appearances this season. Don’t bet against him adding to that.
Verdict: Hit
Cesar Garza
The first Mexican to arrive from Monterrey has made a real impact at Dundee since January.
After starting to train with the club before the transfer window opened, Garza made his debut in a victory at St Johnstone.
Looking rusty, his sole contribution to that game was a tactical foul that earned a yellow card.
However, fans have taken to his feisty approach in midfield and ability to keep things simple when in possession.
Verdict: Hit
Victor ‘Chespi’ Lopez
Chespi’s arrival at Dundee was a convoluted one.
He didn’t come from Monterrey but instead joined on loan from Queretaro, another Mexican top flight side.
And another affiliate with ‘Rayados’.
Chespi, however, has not been able to make any sort of impact yet at Dundee.
His loan stretches to next January so there is time for him to find his feet in Scottish football.
However, early days have not gone to plan for the Mexico youth international.
Verdict: Miss
Have these link-ups benefited Dundee?
The short answer is yes. But only to a certain extent.
The deals allow the Dark Blues to bring in talented young players on loan without the burden of paying full wages.
Mostly, though, these players have provided squad depth, rather than upping the quality of the first team.
Adewumi and Garza are the two flying the flag for Burnley and Monterrey this season.
However, more misses than hits over the past two seasons shows these link-ups are not quite as straightforward as they appear.
They have definitely had their uses, but are not yet taking Dundee to new heights.
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