Dundee United have already made one of their most consequential signings ahead of the club’s return to the Premiership.
Michael Cairney, 30, was named Tannadice head of recruitment on Wednesday evening, filling a vacancy that has existed since the departure of Sean McGee last summer.
While boss Jim Goodwin and chief executive Luigi Capuano succeeded in building a squad capable of getting the Tangerines out of the Championship, there is an appreciation that bigger challenges lie ahead.
A wider net must be cast.
And Cairney will be crucial to identifying talent for Goodwin to assess ahead of next season.
So, who is the new man in one of United’s most important roles?
European adventure with FC Twente
After working as a scouting consultant, analysing players across the English Football League, Cairney was offered a life-changing opportunity with Eredivisie side FC Twente in 2020.
He carried out video analysis and was part of the scouting group for the first team.
While not a senior role within the organisation, the experience would prove crucial to his later career when Cairney linked up with Sport Republic and their varied stable of clubs across the continent.
During his nine months at the Grolsch Veste Stadium, they finished fourth in the Dutch top-flight and secured a return to Europe.
Back to England
Cairney was tempted home by Barnet FC, joining the Underhill outfit in June 2021. He was named head of recruitment for the south of England, working alongside Kirk Rayment, who was responsible for the north.
Barnet finished 18th in the National League in the subsequent campaign.
But his burgeoning reputation saw Cairney earn a swift move to Doncaster Rovers as head of recruitment after just one year with the Bees.
Among his successes, Cairney was credited with identifying striker George Miller, who would go on to notch 13 goals for the Rovers – ending the 2022/23 as the club’s top scorer.
During a “Meet the Owners” evening, Cairney’s role at the Keepmoat was outlined (below), offering an insight into the experience he brings to Tannadice.
“Based at Cantley Park, he oversees a team of ten voluntary scouts across the country.
“A nine-step recruitment process has been implemented which progress through the following: squad planning; identifying players; scouting reports; player profiles; extensive video scouting reports; background assessments; live (in-person) scouting; shortlisting; and reviewing with coaching staff and the board.”
Given the English market will always be a crucial one for any Scottish Premiership club, Cairney’s knowledge of the lower leagues south of the border is seen as a major benefit.
Sport Republic
After leaving Doncaster in the wake of their 18th-placed finish in League Two, he joined Sport Republic, London-based sports investment firm founded by Rasmus Ankersen and Henrik Kraft and financed by lead investor Dragan Šolak.
Cairney’s role related to player recruitment and talent identification for the group, during which he built a network of contacts and expertise in Europe that United could seek to draw upon.
Sport Republic, through Serbian billionaire Šolak, owns 80% of Southampton FC and are a majority shareholder in Valenciennes of France and Turkish outfit Göztepe.
Ankersen was previously director of football at Brentford, recently credited with an interest in investing with United, during their incredible rise to the English Premier League.
He is now chairman of Göztepe.
Dundee United
This is comfortably Cairney’s most high-profile role in the senior game and the work has started in earnest. It is understood he has already recommended several potential targets for Goodwin to assess.
That is a strategy that paid off at Aberdeen, when former recruitment chief Darren Mowbray would identify options, but Goodwin would ultimately make the final decisions.
His eye for an unknown gem was evidenced by the signings of players like Bojan Miovski, Ylber Ramadani and Duk.
Cairney told United’s official website this week: “We have a bit of a blank canvas and an excellent opportunity to implement some new structures and processes.
“Work has been underway for several weeks on identifying some key targets and enhancing our recruitment strategy moving forward.”
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