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Press and Journal
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Richard Gordon: Kusini Yengi has the potential to be a talisman for Aberdeen but Dons need more attacking options
It is still over a month until the Dons kick-off their 2025-26 campaign, but the next few weeks are going to be vitally important, and give us a few clues as to what lies ahead. The club announced a list of pre-season fixtures, some of which will feature a Dons XI, others more likely to offer a better indication of Jimmy Thelin's preferred line-up. The first of those will be at Balmoral Stadium on July 12 against Cove Rangers, and it will be interesting to see if more new faces have arrived by then. So far, Jimmy has brought in left-back Emmanuel Gyamfi and three Aussies, goalkeeper Nick Suman, winger Nicolas Milanovic and striker Kusini Yengi. Of that quartet, it is Yengi who will be of most interest. Last season, Kevin Nisbet was the only one who looked capable of scoring on a regular basis, and even then, it took him until the turn of the year before he really hit form. Kevin finished on 14 goals, the only player to make it into double figures. Given what we have seen so far of the other strikers at Thelin's disposal, there has been nothing to suggest any will fill the void. That means the spotlight will fall on the former Portsmouth hitman. He was by no means prolific at Fratton Park, and did not net a single goal for the club last season, but his previous campaign was more impressive, and he has a highly credible record at international level, notching six for Australia in his eleven appearances to date. He clearly has something; it will be up to Jimmy and his coaching staff to coax that out of the striker. But he will need back-up, and I have to imagine it is an area the club is still looking to strengthen significantly. As well as doing so, they have to be looking at moving a few players on, and there are some in the squad who clearly look surplus to requirements. With the additional demands of a European campaign ahead, in whichever of the leagues the Dons find themselves, they are going to require not only a bigger pool, but one which offers strength in depth when it comes to quality. That will hopefully mean more game time for the club's most promising youngsters. Jack Milne proved in the Scottish Cup final he has the required attributes, Fletcher Boyd has obvious potential, and Alfie Bavidge caught the eye while out on loan at Caley Thistle, earning a place in the PFA Scotland League One team of the year. A trio of players – Adam Emslie, Findlay Marshall and Dylan Lobban – played more than 100 between them for Cove last time round, and I saw them develop significantly over the course of the campaign. Not all will get a chance, but it would be good to see at least some of them feature more regularly during 2025-26, giving the squad more of a local identity. The next month is likely to be a busy one on the training ground, and on and off the pitch, and by the end of it I would hope the team is ready for what seems certain to be a challenging and demanding season. The excitement for the new campaign ramped-up last Friday with the announcement of the Premiership fixture list. Disappointingly, the first weekend will see one solitary Saturday 3pm kick-off – Kilmarnock v Livingston – with a trio of games on the Sunday. Because of the demands of the television companies, and Thursday night European games, Sundays often now feature more of the bigger games, and that will again be the case. It will certainly be something the Dons are going to have to adapt to if they are to have a successful season. Getting off the blocks positively should help – although that did not exactly work out last time – but Aberdeen have been handed a tough start with Celtic at home on day two, either side of trips to Tynecastle and Tannadice. It was no surprise that Sky chose the Hearts game for the Monday evening, and the meeting with Derek McInnes will be some appetiser for the top-flight campaign.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Elias Pihlstrom an Aberdeen 'transfer target' with Jimmy Thelin to rival two European clubs for Swedish teen
Pittodrie boss Jimmy Thelin is seeking more attacking reinforcements ahead of the new season Scottish Cup winners Aberdeen are reportedly in a three-way transfer battle to sign Degerfors winger Elias Pihlstrom. Boss Jimmy Thelin has bolstered his squad so far this summer with four new additions but more signings are expected to follow as the Dons gear up for a European campaign that will last until Christmas at least. Despite bringing in Australia international Kusini Yengi on a free transfer from Portsmouth, the Swede is keen to add more options in the forward department following the departures of loan stars Kevin Nisbet and Odday Dabbagh, who have returned to Millwall and Charleroi respectively. And reports in his homeland now claim they are in the race to land teen Pihlstrom. Swedish outlets Kt-Kuriren and FotbollDirekt claim that the Pittodrie club are one of three sides who have expressed an interest in the 18-year-old. Pihlstrom made his senior debut for Swedish top-flight outfit Degerfors last year and has caught the eye this season with three goals from 14 appearances in all competitions. The left-side player has been capped for his country at U19 level, scoring once in six games. However, the report also states that Aberdeen will face competition from Eredivisie duo PEC Zwolle and FC Utrecht to sign the youngster. They also add that Degerfors could be in line to bank a club record transfer fee for the player, having previously sold forward Victor Edvardsen to league rivals Djurgarden for around €700,000 (£597,000) during the 2021/22 season. Were the Dons to bring Pihlstrom to the Granite City, it wouldn't be the first time boss Thelin has retuned to his former hunting ground in Sweden - where he previously managed Jonkopings and Elfsborg - for reinforcements. Thelin signed Danish full back Alexander Jensen from Brommapojkarna last January in a deal worth £600,000. The Scottish Cup winning manager has also utilised his knowledge of the Scandanavian market to his advantage since his arrival 12 months ago. Aberdeen recruited his former midfield general at Elfsborg Sivert Heltne Nilsen from Norwegian club Brann last summer, with the veteran going onto make 32 appearances before suffering a serious eye injury that ruled him out of the final three months of the season. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
How do Aberdeen build on Scottish Cup triumph?
Just one month on from Aberdeen's stunning Scottish Cup win, the Dons players have had to come off cloud nine to return for pre-season how momentous - and lengthy - the celebrations were following the Hampden triumph, there may still be a some sore heads at Cormack Park this those heads need to refocus for the fast approaching new season, which will include guaranteed European football until the Dons have a Europa League play-off to come in late August thanks to their cup win, and they'll find out their opponent 4 August. Should they lose, will drop straight into the Conference League that, Jimmy Thelin's side have a tough Scottish Premiership start with trips to Tynecastle and Tannadice bookending a visit from Celtic in their first three fixtures.A stronger and more consistent league campaign will be on the wish-list at Aberdeen following their fifth-placed finish last week, ex-Dons striker Lee Miller insisted his former side must "build momentum" from their cup win, but just how do they go about doing that?Send us your thoughts
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Thelin targets improved Aberdeen away form
Manager Jimmy Thelin is eager to improve Aberdeen's away form. (Press and Journal - subscription required), externalRead Wednesday's Scottish gossip
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rangers and Aberdeen tests ones to relish for new Motherwell boss as he looks forward to facing old pals
New Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou is relishing the opportunity to lock horns with two old pals in the Scottish Premiership this season. The Fir Park gaffer knows new Rangers boss Russell Martin having played alongside him during his spell as a player at Norwich City over a decade ago, while Aberdeen gaffer Jimmy Thelin was a rival during his time in Sweden. Advertisement With the Premiership fixtures due out tomorrow, Motherwell's clashes with Rangers and Aberdeen are sure to be ones he looks out for. Asked if he was looking forward to being reunited with the pair, the 42-year-old said: 'Very much. I haven't spoken to Jimmy yet, but we had a very good relationship when I was in Sweden. He's a very good guy, very respectful, humble and a very good and successful coach in Sweden. "He's done a fantastic job here since he arrived. They really took off when he came. And I really look forward to meeting him and hearing about his experience in Scotland. Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin with the Scottish Cup -Credit:SNS Group "And obviously Russ, who was a great teammate back in the days in Norwich, has done fantastic with his career, and I've had contact with him over the years. Advertisement "We actually met, I think it was in 2019, when I was doing my pro licence under 21 Euros in Italy, and suddenly we bumped into each other, and he was also on a pro licence course. "So it was quite something, it was fun. It's going to be great to see both of them, but also all the other great managers who are here, and doing a good job. "I look forward to meeting them and getting inspired and getting tested and challenged, so I really look forward to that as well.' New Rangers boss Russell Martin -Credit:PA Askou arrives in Scotland with coaching experience at IFK Gotenborg, Sparta Prague and FC Copenhagen but has been an assistant rather than head coach at the latter two clubs. Advertisement However, he is delighted return a management role as he believes that is where he is best suited. He said: "It [management] is what I feel I'm the best at and what I thrive the most with. My career has taken me different places, some of them unplanned, but that's how football is sometimes," he said of his recent escapades. "A year ago I had an opportunity to go to a very big club [Sparta Prague] at an early stage in my career and see if I could get a taste of Champions League, which we did. And then after that it brought me to Copenhagen, which is the biggest club in Denmark, and with an opportunity to win something in my home country. Jens Berthel Askou -Credit:Arkivfoto "And working with some really, really good people and getting some inside experience from big organisations, top performing at European and international level, which was a great experience for me that I could use in my next step as a manager or a head coach somewhere, which was a special experience winning the double recently. Advertisement "Getting some inside experience from big organisations, top-performing at European and international level, was a great experience. "And I think I will use some of that experience. I've got a deeper knowledge on things and how to implement things. Even though this is a club with a little fewer resources than the last two clubs I've been in, there's a lot of things and ideas and structure from the bigger organisations I've been in that we can use going forward into the process where we're going now." READ MORE: Lennon Miller: New Motherwell boss to sit down with Scotland star to discuss future amid interest READ MORE: Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou aims to 'break barriers' in Scottish football as he takes reins at Fir Park
