St Johnstone are huge favourites to be relegated from the Premiership this season – but they are not going down without a fight.
Manager Simo Valakari is doing his all this January transfer window to beef up his flailing squad with quality in the hope it can help reduce the nine-point gap between St Johnstone and Hearts.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 11 |  Heart Of MidlothianHeart Of Midlothian | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 31 | -6 | 24 |
| 12 |  ST JohnstoneST Johnstone | 23 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 25 | 47 | -22 | 15 |
The Perth Saints have signed three players already this month – Andy Fisher on loan from Swansea City, Victor Griffith from Arabe Unido and Sam Curtis on loan from Sheffield United.
And more are set to follow including a Latvian defender and Swedish midfielder, as outlined below. There are also updates on the futures of Jack Sanders and Benjo Kimpioka.
Daniels Balodis nearing St Johnstone switch
According to The Courier, FK RFS defender Daniels Balodis is on the verge of signing for St Johnstone.
He has met the SFA’s eligibility criteria – which scuppered Roman Eremenko’s switch to Perth – and now only a work permit stands in his way of securing a move to the Perth Saints.
Balodis is 26 and has earned 15 caps for the Latvia national team since 2022, scoring one goal. He played Champions League qualifiers for FK RFS in the summer and netted against Larne.
Jonathan Svedberg transfer also close
Simo Valakari is also close to bolstering his squad further with the addition of free agent Jonathan Svedberg.
The midfielder has left Halmstads BK following the end of his contract and he too only requires a work permit from the UK Home Office to see his move to St Johnstone materialise.
Svedberg is a former Sweden U19 international and made 177 appearances across almost nine years for Halmstads BK.
Jack Sanders uncertainty
It is being reported that St Johnstone centre-back Jack Sanders’ future is still up in the air with the clock ticking down to deadline day.
The McDiarmid Park club rejected transfer bids from both Gillingham and Crawley for Sanders, but the former side could yet return to the table with an improved offer.
Benji Kimpioka update
It looks increasingly likely that Benji Kimpioka will leave St Johnstone and it is ‘possible’ he could leave this month, claim The Courier.
Kimpioka has refused to enter into contract talks with the Perth Saints with his deal expiring at the end of the season.
The Swede signed for St Johnstone last January and has scored 14 goals in 45 games for the club.