Neil McCann has revealed he was close to signing new Dundee arrival Jean Alassane Mendy back in January.
He held talks with the Senegalese striker back then but was pipped for his signature by Belgians Lokeren.
Things did not work out for Mendy there and now Neil is delighted to have been able to get a player he believes can score regularly in the top flight.
He said: “We tried to get him in January and I think we missed out by just a couple of hours. He agreed to join Lokeren.
“We kept an eye on him and we thought he’d do well here. He’s got a good goal record previous to Lokeren – it didn’t quite happen for him there.
“I believe he is a player who is a bit different to who we’ve got. He’s a good age, good experience and scored goals.
“He’s the type of striker I’ve been looking for, he’s quick and gets down the sides of people,” he said.
“He gets in between the sticks and that’s how he scores goals. One thing I like about him as well is that he’s got a very good work ethic because we are not the kind of team who can let people stand about.
“There are a lot of strikers who bang in goals but I am not sure whether they have the work ethic to be my kind of player.
“Jean ticked that box for me, he’s got good English and has played in a few countries so I think he will settle easily.”
Meanwhile, young Dundee midfielder Jesse Curran has signed up for another year at Dens Park.
The 21-year-old Australian has been in talks over a new deal for some time.
He made eight top team appearances last term and manager Neil McCann was keen to hang on to him.
Along with striker Matty Henvey, who penned a similar contract at the beginning of this week, the Dark Blues are looking for Curran to push for more game time in the coming campaign.
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