Aberdeen to back Jimmy Thelin as Dons chiefs plot fight on multiple fronts

Thanks to winning the Scottish Cup final against Celtic on penalties last week, Aberdeen will enter the Europa League at the play-off round. Should they win, they will advance to the main phase of that competition but if they lose, they parachute into the Conference League.

That scenario happened in the 2023/24 campaign under Barry Robson, with the Dons setting up glamour ties against PAOK, Eintracht Frankfurt and HJK Helsinki. However, their form back in the Scottish Premiership suffered, with Robson losing his job and Aberdeen missing out on top-six football.

The same fate befell Hearts and not one but two head coaches in Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley this term. Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows and chairman Dave Cormack are aware the strain fighting on multiple fronts can have on the squad and know that depth is required.

“We’ve got European group-stage football to work towards now,” said Burrows. “Aberdeen last year, Hearts this year ... the pitfalls of European group-stage football can be that it impacts your domestic season. You need to be ready for that: mentally, physically and having some depth.

Aberdeen ‘have spent a bit of money’

“Dave has said that we will look to support Jimmy. I think most Aberdeen fans would agree that Jimmy’s had a fair bit of backing from the club already. We’ve tried to back him in year one, we’ve spent a bit of money. Hopefully playing in group-stage European football will allow us to keep doing that, given there's going to be a real increase in the volume of matches in the first half of the season.”

Aberdeen have already brought in two new players in Australian winger Nicolas Milanovic and his compatriot, goalkeeper Nick Suman, who will play back-up to No 1 stopper Dimitar Mitov. However, players such as Jack MacKenzie and Jamie McGrath have left after their deals expired. Burrows is confident that the remodelling of the squad will take shape. “We’ve got another couple just about in the tank,” continued Burrows. “We’ve got a fair bit of work to do. There’s no secret that there’s guys out of contract, we’ve got loans, and the nature of a player trading model is that players will leave and come in.

“One of the advantages of winning the cup is that elongates pre-season. If there’s going to be changes, it should in theory give Jimmy a bit more time to work with that squad. The work has been ongoing for weeks and months and hopefully we will start to see some of the results of that.

“Anyone who was humming and hawing over it, the fact you have the carrot of European group-phase football might nudge some over the line or attract someone into the reckoning.”

Aberdeen announced on Friday that four loanees – Alfie Dorrington, Jeppe Okkels, Kevin Nisbet and Oday Dabbagh – have all gone back to their parent clubs. On the chances of them coming back, Burrows added: “We are just in discussions on that. As of right now, there’s been no further movement.”