St Johnstone have missed out on the January signing of a Finnish central defender, according to reports.
Ville Tikkanen has opted to stay in his homeland, making the switch from SJK – bossed by Perth-born Stevie Grieve – to HJK Helsinki on a two-year deal.
The 25-year-old was a target for Simo Valakari, Finnish journalist Eetu Ikola has suggested, but the player has decided the time is not right to make a move to a new country.
“There were a few good options on the table,” said Tikkanen. “Also from abroad.
“My goal is to play abroad for a long time, but now I wanted to think about my own career.
“I strongly believe that HJK is the best possible step towards foreign countries for me at this point.
“In Finland, you can’t get higher than HJK, and it’s not wrong to say that it’s best to open the doors to the world from here, as long as you have first shown that you can do well here.”
Valakari has already signed one centre-half.
Bozo Mikulic was a free agent who had played for him in Latvia.
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