Simo Valakari St Johnstone timeline emerges with club hopeful of arrival BEFORE Rangers clash

St Johnstone hope to have Simo Valakari in place before this weekend’s visit to Rangers.

The Perth side have agreed compensation with Riga and terms with the Finnish boss. The Saints are now awaiting a work permit and if that is issued, then Valakari will be ready to step into position. Club officials are hopeful that the permit will be issued over the next 24 to 48 hours.

It is expected that the interim management team of Andy Kirk and Alec Cleland will still remain in charge for Sunday’s Ibrox clash. If Valakari comes in it will be more to find his feet and to take more of a general overview before he resumes full control during the international break. The 51-year-old is also likely to retain the existing backroom staff in the first instance. That would include Kirk, Cleland and goalkeeping coach Gordon Marshall.

Valakari identified the goalkeeping area and central defensive positions as issues of concern and he would look to the free agent market to plug those gaps in the short-term. St Johnstone have been searching for a manager since they sacked Craig Levein last month.

Valakari, who has success at SJK and KuPS in Finland, was interviewed as part of that process, along with Scott Brown, Aberdeen first-team coach Peter Leven and Larne boss Tiernan Lynch. The former Motherwell player is the first managerial appointment of new American owner Adam Webb and his backers.