St Johnstone: What now for cup double winners after Kerr & McCann departures?

The sheen of St Johnstone's cup double has been dimmed by a double whammy of prominent departures.

Captain Jason Kerr and talisman Ali McCann were whisked away by English clubs just before the transfer window closed, with Callum Davidson losing arguably his two best players.

Four months on from adding the Scottish Cup to League Cup success in his first season as a manager, Davidson now finds himself tasked with working another miracle.

What now for the Perth club as they attempt to live up to last season's highs?

'Football players are like houses...'

The reality is St Johnstone were always going to sell an asset or two in the summer window. In the wake of the club's greatest ever season, the stock of their players had never been higher.

Centre-back Kerr, 24 - in the final year of his contract - joined Wigan Athletic on deadline day for around £600,000 and manager Davidson was "about to go home" that evening, believing the club's business was done.

Then came the surprise sale of 21-year-old McCann - the club's most lucrative asset - to Preston North End for a "seven-figure sum" believed to be £1.2m. Should the add-ons be activated, the club record fee of £1.75m will be eclipsed.

The loss of two of their own - both Kerr and McCann had emerged from St Johnstone's academy - was keenly felt by fans.

Not getting the perceived going rate rubbed salt in the wounds, not least as those fees can set a precedent for future deals. As did the fact the departures came on deadline day, without replacements already in the building.

In a statement defending the sales, chairman Steve Brown said the club had "no intentions to sell Ali in this window", but that after rejecting two offers for the Northern Ireland international, it was made "abundantly clear" he wanted to move on.

Former St Johnstone defender Allan Preston sympathises with Brown's predicament but believes McCann, who was under contract until 2024, will prove a bargain.

"I'm surprised at the figure," says the BBC Scotland pundit. "I liken McCann to David Turnbull when he was at Motherwell and went to Celtic for £3.25m. McCann is a full international, Turnbull wasn't at the time. McCann had played in Europe, Turnbull hadn't. And McCann has played a lot more first-team games.

"But football players are like houses - they only go for what people are willing to pay. St Johnstone is a well-run club, and I'm sure the add-ons will mount up as well.

"Steve clearly thought that was the right price for Ali and decided to take it. In this Covid world you can't knock that, because clubs have been losing money."

While the departures of Kerr and McCann will sting for a while, they can be viewed as proof the club's player development model is thriving. However, there is a balance to be struck between retaining key players and selling at the right moment.

And with other integral talents such as goalkeeper Zander Clark and defenders Liam Gordon, Shaun Rooney and Jamie McCart all out of contract next summer, St Johnstone are at risk of an exodus.

"It's going to be difficult to rebuild the team," says Preston. "And can Steve Brown use the money the club have brought in to extend the deals of important players who are out of contract next summer? I'm not so sure."

Davidson has to roll with the punches after a bruising window. St Johnstone worked frantically to bring in reinforcements, with defender Lars Dendoncker, midfielders Ali Crawford and Cammy MacPherson, and forward Eetu Vertainen arriving in a late spree. Another centre-back, Efe Ambrose, was added a few days later.

MacPherson, though, already has his new manager in a sweat after dislocating his shoulder in a bounce game on Monday.

And Davidson has asked his squad to rise to the challenge of compensating for the loss of two lynchpins of their historic trophy double.

"Ali and Jason were very important players for us but probably, strength in depth, we are a little bit stronger," he said.

"It is now up to players, there are two places up for grabs in the team so people really need to step forward and try to take that place, that's the thing I am going to use with them."

Premiership upturn the priority

The new arrivals don't have much bedding-in time as St Johnstone attempt to rectify a slow start.

Nine games into a congested start to the season, Davidson's side have yet to win in 90 minutes, with their sole victory coming via penalties against second-tier Arbroath in the League Cup.

European involvement has undoubtedly affected the domestic focus. The club marked their return to continental competition after a four-year absence with an excellent draw away to Galatasaray, before second-leg defeat in Perth dropped them from the Europa League to Europa Conference.

Still, a £3m-plus bounty was within touching distance, especially after a 1-1 draw at Austrians LASK. Two sending offs and a 2-0 defeat in Perth later, St Johnstone's group-stage dreams had crumbled.

Addressing their Premiership form now becomes the priority, with three defeats and a draw so far, scoring just one goal. An immediate impact from Finland Under-21 attacker Vertainen would be beneficial.

However, a hazardous run of fixtures awaits Davidson's men on their return to action. After the visit of Rangers on Saturday, St Johnstone hit the road for games away to Aberdeen and Hibernian either side of a League Cup quarter-final at Dundee.

Yet, past experience teaches us to be wary of underestimating them. After 10 games last season they were bottom of the table with just seven points. The rest is history, with a rise to fifth place by the campaign's end to complement their trophy double.

"Callum knows he needs points," added Preston. "Top six would be brilliant but this is the strongest Premiership in 10 years."