St Johnstone brought in eight new players in January but were linked with a whole lot more in the busiest transfer window the Perth club has ever known.
Courier Sport looks at the deals that didn’t quite happen to see if there will be any regrets on either side.
Jamie Walker
Callum Davidson confirmed that Walker was on his list of possible targets weeks before the window opened.
In the end Hearts let him move to Bradford City on loan and while Derek Adams was in charge, the 28-year-old got the regular first team football he was craving.
He started eight matches in a row.
A first Bradford City goal for Jamie Walker, and my goodness it was crucial #bcafc pic.twitter.com/k35W3UUGmd
— Jamie Raynor (@JamieRaynor) February 8, 2022
A hamstring injury in Adams’ last game in charge – a defeat to Exeter – has kept Walker out ever since.
And he’s not yet ready to return for new boss Mark Hughes.
Davidson didn’t bring in a similar type player to Walker and given Nadir Ciftci, Theo Bair and Jahmal Hector-Ingram have yet to score a goal between them, Walker’s direct running, mobility and shooting prowess would have made have given Saints a different attacking dimension.
He is out of contract in the summer and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Davidson goes back in for the former Scotland under-21 international.
Alan Forrest
Walker can be described as a player would probably have strengthened Saints but Forrest will have to go down as one who would definitely have made them a better team.
His individual display in Saints’ 2-1 win in West Lothian was one of the best by an opposition player this season and Forrest has maintained that form since.
There will be no shortage of interested clubs keen to snap him up as a free agent in the summer and if they are still a Premiership side, you would imagine Saints would be among them.
3️⃣ goals in 4️⃣ games for Livingston’s Alan Forrest! #FFScotlandpic.twitter.com/ixEezfqWcb
— Fantasy Football Scotland 🏴 (@FantasyScotland) February 10, 2022
Zak Rudden
Saints and Motherwell lost out to Dundee when Partick Thistle eventually agreed to let their striker leave Firhill.
Davidson, probably like Graham Alexander, would have viewed Rudden as a raw, project signing with a high ceiling if things went to plan.
Had he moved to McDiarmid, however, it might have been a sliding-doors moment for Callum Hendry.
And no Saints fan would trade those two just now.
Rudden has played three matches for Dundee, scoring once, and there could yet be a twist in the plot given the Tayside rivals are involved in a bottom of the table head-to-head.
Liam Shaw
Melker Hallberg was a target of Davidson’s going back to the summer but in the early days of the January window, with the Hibs man appearing out of reach, Saints made a move to bring Shaw in from Celtic on loan.
A deal was understood to have been agreed with the Hoops but Alexander also made a pitch for the former Sheffield Wednesday man and he chose Motherwell over McDiarmid.
Has it turned out to be a wise decision for Shaw’s career development?
Possibly not.
The Englishman has only started two matches for Motherwell and come off the bench on three other occasions, to amass a total of just 193 minutes of game-time.
And he has been an unused substitute for the Fir Park side’s last two fixtures.
From Saints’ point of view, Davidson got Hallberg in the end – on a permanent deal – and it has been a broadly successful start for him.
It will be a fascinating contest if the two central midfielders come up against each other when Saints host Motherwell a week on Saturday.
Robbie Deas
Saints were knocked back with their bid for the Inverness Caley Thistle defender.
Davidson had other irons in the fire at the time to supplement his back-three options and triggered a release clause for Sligo Rovers’ John Mahon.
The Perth side have been far stronger defensively of late so Mahon has only seen action off the bench.
He looks the part, though, and it’s just a matter of time before he gets a run as a starter you would think.
Deas, meanwhile, has been part of a horribly out of form Inverness team, playing as a left-back rather than a left-sided centre-half.
I wonder how much serious thought Billy Dodds has given to moving Robbie Deas in there and trying Cammy Harper at left back again? Deas has done pretty well at LB, but he's undoubtedly a central defender and had a pretty solid first season in there last year.
— alsy (@alsy73) February 9, 2022
Drey Wright
A right wing-back was the last piece of the January jigsaw and the recruitment of one went down to deadline day.
Saints had looked into the possibility of bringing Wright back to Perth.
The Hibs boss wasn’t willing to let Wright leave and he has started the last three matches.
They have all ended in 0-0 draws.
Wright was taken off with around 20 minutes left of the game against his old club on Saturday and had struggled to make any attacking impression, though he was far from alone in that respect.
He would probably suit Saints’ formation better than Hibs’ but Tom Sang has grown in stature since his arrival on loan from Cardiff City.
If his injury isn’t serious – and with Shaun Rooney set to return soon – there shouldn’t be cause to regret missing out on Wright.
