Goodwin has been impressed with the impact his loan men have made and wants them for keeps
22:30, 20 Mar 2025
Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin
Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin
Jim Goodwin would love to keep the likes of Luca Stephenson and some of his current loan players at Dundee United permanently.
The Euro-chasers currently have the likes of Dalby, Luca Stephenson, Emmanuel Adeboyega and Jack Walton on-loan, while Lewis Fiorini and Ruari Paton all came in on similar deals in January.
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Goodwin has admitted that United will try and see if some of them could be persuaded to move to Tannadice on a longer term basis.
Keeper Walton is also set to become a free agent at Luton Town, Dalby is out-of-contract at Wrexham although he has been offered a new deal and Stephenson is going into his last year at Liverpool.
Goodwin proudly stated: “I couldn't be any happier with how those signings have done for us.
“Luca is one that obviously if he was to become available in the summer and not extend his contract at Liverpool, then of course we would love to be at the table talking to him and trying to extend it.
“I know he's loved his time here, as has Dalby. Dalby might be priced out of the market in terms of what he's done, but I know from speaking to them all in one-to-ones that they've thoroughly enjoyed their time at Dundee United.
“They appreciate the way that they're looked after by the backroom team and by the people behind the scenes that run the operations for us.
“It would be great if we could keep one or two of those guys as permanent Dundee United players.”
United will also look to cut their loans next season and look towards more permanent signings. Goodwin accepted that would give them a bit more stability as things were left up in the air in January, with Wrexham having a window to recall Dalby. In the end, they agreed to leave the big striker in Scotland but if they hadn’t it would have left the Terrors with a major hole to fill.
Goodwin admitted: “The loan market will still be a system that we use, but we maybe don't want to be too reliant on it because in January you can leave yourself in a situation like we found ourselves with Sam Dalby where the rug could have been pulled from under us and we're left in limbo. So all those players, I'm absolutely delighted about them. Sam Dalby on loan is a top goal scorer in the league.
“Luca Stevenson has been hugely consistent and successful. Manny Adeboyega has just continuously got better and better and better from the start of the season up to now, far more mature and more experienced playing against top level players. There's one or two others within the group that are still waiting to get their chance like Fiorini and Paton, who have had a few games.”
Goodwin, though, also knows that United can’t close the door on the loan market either because it could offer them quality they couldn’t normally afford.
The United manager claimed: “I think the recruitment as a whole has been really, really positive.
‘With the permanent signings that we made and these loan signings, it's a market that I've always dipped into at all of the clubs that I've been at, even going back as far as Alloa.
“You tend to get a better quality of players for a lot less money. We possibly wouldn't be able to afford some of the guys that we've got on their full wage, but there's an understanding there from the parent club and from ourselves that it can be hugely beneficial to all parties.
“The players playing regularly, the parent club are getting good experience from their player and we're getting a good quality player for a discounted price.
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“But there is always the frustration that you're developing and marketing somebody else's player and that's where we need to try and get the balance right this summer.”