Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson believes David Goodwillie’s return to Tannadice could turn out to be more beneficial to the player than his original move south.
The Tangerines will reintroduce Goodie to the Scottish media this morning after agreeing a loan to January which has scope to be extended if it suits all parties.
This is a big deal in every sense of the word for United and Goodwillie.
For the man who scored the opening goal in their Scottish Cup success against Ross County three years ago will not come cheaply, with a figure of more than £100,000 to finance the deal a reasonable estimate.
United also want the news to spark a surge in season ticket sales, which have lagged behind last summer’s figure by around 20%. Significantly, though, Thompson also feels the biggest winner in this transfer could be Goodwillie himself.
He thinks the opportunity is there for the player to get some serious game time in what will be the new Scottish Premiership, catch the eye of national coach Gordon Strachan again and head back to England eventually an even better player.
“It has been great to meet David again and he is just the same boy we always knew, only two years older,” said Thompson.
“I was just reflecting upon on his last game for us before he left to go to Blackburn Rovers.
“It was a home match against Kilmarnock and I remember being in the boardroom afterwards and one of the Killie directors came up to me to say he thought David was a class above everyone else on the park that day.
“We have missed him but he’s back and it’s great for the club and the supporters. I also think returning to Tannadice will be good for him.
“In fact, in my opinion, this could turn out to be an even more important move for him than the one to Blackburn. That set him up for life financially but now he can really show what he can do on the park in a United shirt.
“Believe me, he has not come up here to laze around. He is here to score goals and remind everyone just how good a player he is.”
Thompson is reluctant to badger fans about supporting the club financially, sensitive as he is to the difficulties facing people in an age of austerity. However, he is hoping for a positive reaction from fans once they see their cup hero in a tangerine shirt again.
“I would like to thank all those fans who have already bought season tickets and it would be nice to think more will do so,” he said.
“I am not going to tell anyone what to do with their money but we have taken our time this summer to get our squad together and I hope this signing shows the fans how serious we are about making the team competitive on the park next season.”
Blackburn boss Gary Bowyer stressed that Goodie’s parent club will be paying close attention to how he does back in Scotland.
He added: “We are not pushing David out the door. He has not played as many games as we would have liked so this move presents him with the opportunity to play some regular football.”
Meanwhile, one of those who have left United is backing Goodwillie to hit the ground running.
Barry Douglas, who recently moved to Polish outfit Lech Poznan, is also convinced Goodie can rediscover his passion for the game and repay United boss Jackie McNamara for his bold swoop.
Douglas said: “It’s great news. This move will make Goodie fall back in love with football again.
“I phoned him not long after word had come through that he was going back to Tannadice and he was absolutely buzzing. He obviously didn’t have the best of times when he was down south and became a bit fed up.
“But I know from talking to him that there’s a spring in his step again and he’s just desperate to get going again.That can only be a good thing for United and Jackie McNamara who’ve pushed the boat out to get him
“I’m sure this will work well for both parties over the six-month period. Going back to his old club won’t be a problem for him and it will give the whole place a huge lift going into the new season.”