Where do Motherwell FC rank in terms of player loyalty among Scottish Premiership clubs?

The idea of player loyalty in professional football is widely perceived to be a thing of the past, with players now choosing big money deals over commitment to their club.
By Craig Goldthorp
Published 4th Feb 2022, 10:51 BST
Updated 4th Feb 2022, 12:11 BST
Tony Watt - now of Dundee United - playing earlier this season for Motherwell against St Johnstone, who have been found to have the most loyal players in survey (Pic by Ian McFadyen)Tony Watt - now of Dundee United - playing earlier this season for Motherwell against St Johnstone, who have been found to have the most loyal players in survey (Pic by Ian McFadyen)
Tony Watt - now of Dundee United - playing earlier this season for Motherwell against St Johnstone, who have been found to have the most loyal players in survey (Pic by Ian McFadyen)

The most recent example of this at Motherwell FC appeared to be when striker Tony Watt – who had openly spoken about how happy and settled he was at Fir Park after a nomadic career at several clubs in the UK and abroad – left to join Dundee United in a move which appears financially motivated, although Watt has denied this.

With the January transfer window having recently slammed shut, Wedbureaus.nl analysed official statistics from the CIES Football Observatory, relating to domestic league matches in 2021.

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Finding the average number of months that footballers have stayed in a club's first team, they can reveal the Scottish Premiership outfit with the most loyal players.

Of the 12 Scottish Premiership clubs, Motherwell ranked ninth in the list for loyalty, with players staying at the Fir Park outfit for an average of 15.3 months. But Ross County are bottom with an average remain time of just 11.6 months.

This is far behind ranking leaders St Johnstone, where players were found to remain for an average of 38 months.

The full list of top flight clubs’ player loyalty (figures in months stayed) reads: St Johnstone 38, Rangers 32.4, Hibernian 31.4, Celtic 26.7, Dundee 23.9, Aberdeen 21.6, Hearts 20.3, Dundee United 19.9, Motherwell 15.3, Livingston 14.4, St Mirren 13.1, Ross County 11.6.

The data was commisioned by Wedbureaus.nl – see https://www.wedbureaus.nl/ for more.

Related topics:Ross CountyScottish PremiershipFir ParkSt JohnstoneDundee United

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