Scottish Premiership best and worst transfer windows rated as Celtic flounder, Rangers splurge and Hearts edge Hibs

Aberdeen

The Dons waited until the final throes of the window to make arguably the signing of the summer in the Premiership. The capture of Sweden winger Jesper Karlsson on loan from Bologna is a real statement of intent given he was signed by the Serie A club for £10million just two years ago. The return of Kevin Nisbet from Millwall also looks like shrewd business while there are also high hopes for fellow striker Marko Lazetic, who arrived on a free from AC Milan, as the Dons look to address the goalscoring issue that has hindered their early season form.

Transfer window score: 7/10

Celtic

The failure to land one striker - let alone the two Brendan Rodgers requested - following the sale of Adam Idah to Swansea borders on dereliction of duty. Deadline day moves for Kasper Dolberg and David Fofana collapsed, but the Celtic recruitment team seemed ill-prepared having had all summer to rectify a key issue in the squad. A move for Kelechi Iheanacho, now a free agent after departing Sevilla, seems like a last resort. The arrivals of Michel Ange-Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti provide depth in the wide areas but both players are unknown quantities at this stage. The return of Kieran Tierney was seen as a coup but Celtic fans have yet to see the best of him due to fitness issues. Benjamin Nygren has showed flashes of promise, but too much focus appears to have been made on signing project players who are not first-team starters.

Transfer window score: 3/10

Dundee

Steven Pressley inherited a squad weakened by key departures with Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan the most notable. The manager has brought in 11 new faces but missed out on a deadline day attempt to sign Ryan Jack, while a possible loan move for Celtic full-back Colby Donavan also fell through due to Alistair Johnston's injury. With most of the recruits on the youthful side, and coming from either the English lower leagues or Premier League B teams, it remains to be seen whether the Dark Blues will have enough experience or nous to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

Transfer window score: 4/10

Dundee United

Eyebrows were raised when United fielded a side containing no Scots for the first time in a Conference League qualifier against UNA Strassen but Jim Goodwin appears to have unearthed a few gems based on early season displays. Zac Sapsford, Max Watters and Ivan Dolcek have all hit the ground running in attack. With 14 new arrivals spanning multiple nationalities - but no Scots - it will be interesting to see how the new-look Tannadice squad gels but the individual player recruitment appears to have been spot on.

Transfer window score: 8/10

Falkirk

After back-to-back promotions, the Bairns squad was always going to need investment for the return to the top flight which is why only two new permanent additions - goalkeeper Scott Bain from Celtic and veteran striker Brian Graham from Partick - is surprisingly low. The squad has been mainly bolstered with the acquisition of six loan players with Lewis Neilson from Hearts the oldest at 22. Keeping hold of key members of the title-winning squad was key but relying on inexperienced young signings from England feels like a gamble. If anyone can get the best out of them, it is head coach John McGlynn.

Transfer window score: 5/10

Hearts

With the help of Jamestown Analytics, Hearts have strengthened their squad with 11 new additions including the record signing of Brazilian midfielder Ageu from Santa Clara. If he is as good as manager Derek McInnes claims he is then Hearts are on to a winner. Portuguese forward Claudio Braga already has six goals in nine appearances and is showing signs of becoming a fan favourite while defender Stuart Findlay has proven effective at both ends of the pitch after arriving on loan from Oxford. The signing of experienced German goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow could also prove key with Zander Clark making an unconvincing start to the season and Craig Gordon injured.

Transfer window score: 8/10

Hibs

Last season's third-placed finishers have recruited well this summer, breaking their club record fee by signing striker Thibault Klidje from Luzern, while midfielders Miguel Chaiwa, Josh Mulligan and Jamie McGrath have made positive impacts. Scotland defender Grant Hanley also arrived on a free while the post-deadline arrival of Dan Barlaser on loan from Middlesbrough adds further depth to David Gray's midfield options. Hibs wanted to land another striker and pushed hard for Lyndon Dykes, only for the loan deal with Birmingham to fall at the final hurdle. The free agent market could be explored after Dwight Gayle's positive contribution following a mid-September arrival last year.

Transfer window score: 7.5/10

Kilmarnock

Stuart Kettlewell focused on the Scottish market as he built his squad after taking over the reins from Derek McInnes. There is a good mix of players who have Premiership experience - such as Greg Kiltie from St Mirren, Scott Tiffoney from Dundee and James Brown from Ross County - alongside some of the Championship's top performers with Jack Thomson coming in from Queen's Park, George Stanger from Ayr United and Jamie Brandon, who captained Livingston to promotion last season. There are also new additions to the Scottish game with Dutch striker Djenairo Daniels showing some early promise with four goals in nine appearances.

Transfer window score: 6/10

Livingston

David Martindale secured 11 free transfers and four loan signings including a handful of lesser known quantities from abroad mixed in with a strong core of Scottish players. Aidan Denholm and Connor McLennan will have a point to prove while Cammy Kerr, Stevie May and Graham Carey have been around the block. Livingston were active on deadline day with a double loan deal, adding midfielder Mahamadou Susoho from Manchester City and defender Junior Robinson from West Ham.

Transfer window score: 6/10

Motherwell

The signing of defender Stephen Welsh on loan from Celtic on deadline day made it 11 new arrivals this summer for the Steelmen. Elijah Just, the New Zealand winger, looks the pick of the bunch, with even Hearts fans raving about his performance at Tynecastle in the 3-3 draw last weekend. The sale of Lennon Miller to Serie A side Udinese netted the club a record £4.7 million fee - good business for a player who had one year left on his deal. Overall a fine window.

Transfer window score: 7.5/10

Rangers

The Ibrox club were Scotland's big spenders this summer, splashing out £32.4million on new faces - including £8m on Youssef Chermiti alone - albeit while recouping £24.9m in player sales made up mostly by a combined £17m for Hamza Igamane and Cyriel Dessers. While Chermiti and Bojan Miovski will head up a new-look attack, the jury is very much out of a number of Russell Martin signings after an inauspicious start to his tenure where the likes of Max Aarons, Nasser Djiga and Joe Rothwell have struggled. The loan signing of Canada international Derek Cornelius from Marseille on deadline day will help address issues in defence.

Transfer window score: 5/10

St Mirren

The Buddies have recruited well in recent seasons leading to three consecutive top six finishes. A fourth would be remarkable but Stephen Robinson appears to have built another solid-looking squad. The addition of Dan Nlundulu from Bolton Wanderers on a one-year deal on deadline day fulfilled the manager's wish for a pacey striker while other highlights included Keanu Baccus rejoining and Killian Phillips' loan deal being made permanent as the Buddies welcomed 12 new faces in total.

Transfer window score: 7/10