The next St Johnstone manager will join the Perth club at a perfect time financially.
Courier Sport can reveal that a number of factors will contribute to a bumper year off the pitch at McDiarmid Park and potentially bolster the recruitment work Craig Levein’s successor can do in the next two transfer windows.
The main one, as first reported in the Daily Mail, is that Saints are one of seven Scottish clubs who are set to benefit from a Uefa windfall.
It is understood that close to £1 million will be banked in December for the 2023/24 season.
That’s a solidarity payment for Celtic qualifying for the Champions League that they would have been expecting.
The key change is that, instead of receiving money in arrears from European football’s governing body as has always been the case, Saints and others will now get this season’s payment DURING the current campaign.
That could be as much as £500,000 in February, 2025 and another £500,000 in June.
SFA chief executive, Ian Maxwell, is expected to hold a meeting with club representatives later this month to firm up the exact figures.
As far as Saints are concerned, it’s not been the start they would have wanted on the pitch, with Levein being sacked earlier this week as a consequence of four defeats in a row.
But off it, a few things have boosted the health of the club just before, and since, Adam Webb took over from Geoff Brown.
Early-season bonuses
Levein’s base salary budget for his reshaped squad, after being topped up by Webb, was virtually the same as Steven MacLean’s the year before.
The transfer fee Aberdeen paid for Dimitar Mitov, the shared gate for the League Cup clash with Rangers at Hampden Park, the Premier Sports payment for that game, extra prize money from making the last 16 of the competition and £75,000 which will come their way for the live TV game against Celtic next week adds up to well over £400,000.
Saints have yet to compile a shortlist for Levein’s successor.
Andy Kirk and Alex Cleland are in temporary charge for Saturday’s clash with Ross County and Webb, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer, will move things forward at the start of next week.
Conversation