Callum Davidson has revealed how close St Johnstone came to losing loan star Alex Mitchell for the rest of the season.
And it was two of Davidson’s closest friends in football involved in causing the considerable deadline day grief.
Millwall defender Charlie Cresswell, son of his ex-Preston North End pal Richard, courted interest from Stoke last week.
The late swoop was relayed by Millwall manager Gary Rowett who told Davidson, his former number two at The Den, he’d be forced to recall Mitchell.
The Cresswell deal did not progress, however, much to the relief of the panicked Perth boss.
Now Davidson is thrilled to have Mitchell available to help Saints with their top six bid.
Davidson explained: “My biggest concern was a phone call from supposedly one of my best mates to tell me I was losing Alex!
“It was a real possibility. So then I phoned another one of my mates, because it was his son Charlie causing all the problems!
Gary Rowett reveals Leeds United youngster Charlie Cresswell’s deadline day snub: https://t.co/JP9qtQsZ1w
— Leeds News App (@leedsnews_app) February 2, 2023
“I thought: ‘These are not very good mates I’ve got, leaving me out to dry like this’.
“There might’ve been a bit of swearing going on down the phone. Listen, it was out of my control anyway so there’s not a lot I could’ve done.
“We had a wee laugh when Gaz said it was okay, that Charlie and Alex were both staying put. I think we were both pretty happy at that point.
“But I genuinely thought Alex was going back. I didn’t know the ins and outs of that deal; the biggest thing for me was not wanting to lose Alex because of the number of games he’s played and how well he’s played.
“I don’t particularly like the transfer window for these types of things. So we were delighted that Remi (Matthews) and Connor (McLennan) were staying too.
“We were a wee bit worried about Connor with the change in manager at Aberdeen.”
‘He’s delighted’
Mitchell has been a Saints success story at centre back for most of the season.
The no-nonsense defender has flourished alongside the veteran presence of Andrew Considine or Ryan McGowan and captain Liam Gordon.
Davidson has challenged Mitchell to rival Gordon for a place in the side in the 13 remaining Premiership games.
In addition, the manager requires a greater set-piece threat after just one Mitchell goal, against Celtic at McDiarmid Park, in his 22 outings.
A 1st goal at Saints for Alex Mitchell 🤩#SJFC | @spfl pic.twitter.com/GB5E1OiIwt
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) October 10, 2022
Davidson said: “Alex has got an unbelievable attitude, he practises every day, wants to get better, wants to prove himself, wants to play.
“If he continues doing that, he’s got a lot of attributes that will help him play every game.
“Alex is probably better in the middle of the three. When Liam came back and played well, I had to put him out to the right.
“But for me, he’s puts pressure on Liam so Liam has to make sure his levels are up. Alex is right there with him on performances.
“Alex had a wee dip but has played over 20 games already. He’s delighted and I think Millwall are delighted with what we’ve managed to get from Alex.
“I hope he can keep that going until the end of the season. A couple more goals would be nice as well, to actually get his head on a few free kicks, that would be a wee challenge for him to get better at.”
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