5 most interesting Premiership newcomers - Celtic's in-demand star, €9m Rangers striker, Hibs & Aberdeen recruits

The transfer window has been open for less than two weeks but cinch Premiership sides have already been active, some more than others. In total 26 signings have been confirmed. Many of the names are familiar to Scottish football fans but there are some who will be new to the game north of the border. The Scotsman looks at some of those newcomers and what we can expect...

Ester Sokler

Aberdeen’s signing of the Slovenian striker went slightly under the radar due to Leighton Clarkson's arrival on a permanent deal from Liverpool. The 24-year-old joins from NK Radomlje having scored ten goals in 30 appearances in the country’s top-flight last season. He shares plenty of resemblance to new team-mate Bojan Miovski in the way he plays. The right-footed Sokler plays on the shoulder of the last man and is desperate to run in behind. He, like Miovski, has excellent striking instincts, picking up good areas in the box and possessing intelligent movement. When his team win the ball back he is alert and already making a run, if the ball doesn’t find him he’ll get himself back onside and make another. While he is not a clean striker with his left foot, four of his ten goals last season were headers and he could have had more such is his threat in the air. There is definite room for improvement. He doesn’t get involved too much in build-up play, while he may need to become more robust against Scottish defences. When he gets into the final third there is a single-mindedness which can lead to skewed decision. But he is a striker after all.

Odin Thiago Holm

When the first signing of Brendan Rodgers’ second spell at Celtic was 17 he laid out his ambition: "The goal and dream is to play for Barcelona”. The presence of ‘Thiago’ makes slightly more sense, Holm having worn his parents down to be allowed to officially add the middle name, a nod to his favourite player. Thiago Alcantara. The Scottish champions have landed a highly-rated midfielder. As a teenager he attracted attention from Juventus, Inter Milan, Manchester United and Liverpool. He only turned 20 at the start of the year but has nearly 70 Norwegian top-flight appearances. Rodgers outlined what to expect from the player. He said: “I like his technical quality, he’s dynamic, he’s young, he’s hungry but he’s also got speed”. For Valerenga he predominantly played at the base of a 4-1-4-1. Maybe lacking the physical element to come in and make an immediate impact in the team, it is easy to understand why Rodgers likes him, constantly offering angles for team-mates and a sharp user of the ball off both feet.

Jojo Wollacott

One of two signings made this past week by Hibs, alongside Jordan Obita. The goalkeeper was a required addition with Murray Johnson having joined Queen of the South on loan and Kevin Dabrwoski leaving for Raith Rovers. The 11-time Ghanaian international will be moving to Easter Road to compete with David Marshall for the No.1 spot rather than simply acting as a back-up. He played in 16 of Charlton’s first 17 fixtures before picking up an injury. When he recovered he had lost his spot to Ashley Maynard-Brewer, the Australian who was on loan at Ross County during the 2021/22 campaign. Hibs can expect to find a goalkeeper capable of making jaw-dropping saves. Addicks fans recognised him as a fine shot stopper with sharp reflexes and clean handling. The 26-year-old very rarely spills the ball when he catches it but can be inconsistent with where he parries shots. Wollacott was guilty of conceding goals from long range last season but a bigger issue could be a command of the box.

Antonio Portales

Rangers have signed Sam Lammers who spent the second half of last season at Sampdoria. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Few signings have piqued as much interest as Dundee’s capture of the Mexican centre-back on their return to the Premiership. Dees boss Tony Docherty described him as “old school” and “passionate”. There were offers from the Mexican top-flight after he impressed in the second tier with Atlante, helping them win the Apertura – the Championship for the first round of fixtures. He is a signing who has all the makings of being a cult hero, even more so after expressing his ambition to get into the Mexican national team. There is no doubting he is an all-action defender. He finished top six for defensive duels, interceptions, fouls, shots blocked and aerial duels across the entire Mexican second tier last season. However, his aerial duel success rate of 52.73 would have left him outside the top 30 in the Scottish Premiership last season. He is a committed defender who likes to engage with the forwards and attack the ball. In possession there is a willingness to drive forward and try to progress the play.

Sam Lammers

It is instinct, when a club has signed a striker, for fans to look at his goal record. For Rangers’ new forward the picture isn't too pretty with just nine goals across the last four seasons. It followed a breakthrough campaign in 2018/19 on loan at Heerenveen with 19 goals in 35 appearances. The 26-year-old, who Serie A side Atalanta paid €9million for three years ago, arrives at Ibrox looking for direction, a career restart perhaps. A certain degree of context can be applied to his struggles recently. At Rangers he will be in a team which dominates possession and creates chances. Such an environment can allow Lammers to find his scoring boots again. But he will be more to Michael Beale's side than goals. He can contribute outside of the box with his link play. Left-footed, he has good technique and a really good touch which allows him to get the ball in tight or turn in one movement. He could thrive with a forward who is willing to stretch defences.