Aberdeen

Image source, Getty Images

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin believes new signing Marko Lazetic can be a "potent threat" for the north east club.

The 21-year-old striker joins from Italian Serie A side AC Milan and put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Pittodrie.

"We've been monitoring Marko for a while and are very pleased to have secured his signature," Thelin told club media, external.

"He has a fantastic pedigree and despite his young age has played at high level in different leagues across Europe.

"We will have to be realistic in our expectations with Marko as it will take him a bit of time to get up to match sharpness and integrate into our way of working.

"His pre-season has been a little frustrating due to the uncertainty surrounding his future, but he's shown great patience and now he's finally arrived we're delighted to get down to the hard work with him to get him up to speed.

"We believe he will be an excellent addition to our squad. He has an imposing physical presence; good technical ability and he will provide versatility and competition for places ahead of a busy season.

"We believe we can unlock some of the undoubted raw materials that he has to make him a potent threat for Aberdeen."

Dons fans, what do you make of the signing? Are you excited to see the striker in action?

Let us know your thoughts on Lazetic's arrival

Image source, Getty Images

FCSB prepared for Thursday's trip to Pittodrie with a disappointing collapse against fierce rivals Rapid Bucharest.

The Romanian champions take on Aberdeen in the first leg of their Europa League play-off this week, before the return leg in Bucharest on 28 August.

In their final outing before heading to the Granite City, FCSB led 2-0 thanks to goals from Mihai Lixandru and Daniel Birligea, but conceded twice in the final 10 minutes and were only able to draw.

Elias Charalambous' side have won only one of their first six league matches of the season and sit 13th in Romania's Superliga.

FCSB have been similarly underwhelming in European competition so far this term.

They scraped past Inter Club d'Escaldes in the Champions League first qualifying round despite a second-leg defeat in Andorra, before being beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Macedonian side KF Shkendija, dropping into Europa League qualifying as a result.

A 6-3 win over two legs against Kosovan outfit Drita set up the play-off against Aberdeen, but the Dons will fancy their chances against an opposition yet to find form.

Aberdeen are on the verge of signing AC Milan forward Marko Lazetic, while defender Slobodan Rubezic is likely to leave Pittodrie after travelling to Poland for a medical with Korona Kielce. (Press and Journal), external

Udinese are interested in Scotland and Bristol City defender Ross McCrorie, for whom Aberdeen have a 20% sell-on clause. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

We asked for your views on Aberdeen's 3-0 win against Greenock Morton which set up a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at home to Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Fred: Hopefully this win will give the team some much-needed confidence as they tackle a hard challenge in Europe.

Andy: I wouldn't get carried away, Morton were not very good. That said it was good to get a win on the board and for Kusini Yengi to get a goal, that will hopefully boost his confidence. Thursday will be a far greater challenge.

Stuart: A banana skin was avoided so we move on to the next game. I do have my concerns that we don't have enough quality to do well in Europe however if they prove me wrong I'll be a happy man.

Kev: You can only beat what's in front of you and we did that, it was also pleasing to keep a clean sheet. Leighton Clarkson's goal was the way I was expecting Jimmy Thelin to try and get us playing, so that was a pleasing goal and also a very excellent finish!

Samuel: Yengi off the mark! Hopefully a sign of better things to come and more proficiency in front of goal for both him and the rest of the team. Motherwell in the next round will be tough but at least we're at home!

Geoff: I have been critical but it is still a three-year project and we must be patient and trust in Jimmy to see it through or we are right back in the average manager rollercoaster days!

Aberdeen put their stuttering start to the league season behind them as goals from Sivert Heltne Nilsen, Kusini Yengi and Leighton Clarkson helped sweep aside Greenock Morton to book a place in the Premier Sports Cup last eight.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say on the game here.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "That's why I always talk about the character and always giving 100%.

"We have a lot of fans here again today, and it's always important you give everything when you put on the shirt.

"Every game is important, and you always have to give 100% when you play for Aberdeen, and it was nice to see the players today and how they performed.

"I'm happy with how we attacked them today. It was clearer, I think the players got better and better timing with each other. And then when the timing is there, it's easier to play football, of course.

"I know it's always difficult with cup games, and I think in the things we have worked on, they did better, and [that's good to have] now before the next game in the [Europa League] playoffs.

"So it was good to see some good interactions and some good timing today."

On Kusini Yengi, who scored his first Dons goal after a much-maligned start to his Aberdeen career, Thelin adds:

"How he was as a target player was really good, and also happy for him to score the goal today, he was in the right place.

"He looked better and better... it was nice to see his timing with his teammates as always.

"And also the teammates start putting the ball into the box, and he got more opportunities than he did in other games, so it was more directness in our game today."

Image source, SNS

Korona Kielce have agreed a deal to sign Aberdeen centre-back Slobodan Rubezic, with the 25-year-old Montenegro international due to arrive in Poland on Monday for a medical after being deemed surplus to requirements by Dons manager Jimmy Thelin. (Anthony Joseph), external

Aberdeen are cooling their interest in Zalaegerszegi forward Csanad Vilmos Denes as the Hungarian club's £864,000 valuation is much more than the Dons are willing to pay for the 20-year-old, who has had interest from two other Scottish Premiership clubs, one of which is still monitoring his situation. (Sky Sports), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen midfielder Adil Aouchiche believes he has the talent to play for "one of the best clubs in the world".

The 23-year-old arrived at Pittodrie last month on a season-long loan from Sunderland, with the Dons having an option to buy the Frenchman next summer.

Aouchiche came through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain and is unwavering in his belief that he can return to one of football's giants again later in his career.

"Yes of course, I think I have the possibility and the qualities to go in one of the best clubs in the world," he said.

Prior to making the switch to Scotland, Aouchiche featured 38 times for Sunderland, before spending the second half of last term on loan at Portsmouth.

And he believes a loan spell north of the border can help as a springboard to his lofty ambitions.

"It is just the process of football sometimes," Aouchiche said, speaking before Aberdeen's Premier Sports Cup trip to Morton.

"Sometimes you have to go a little bit down to go up after, so I think I am in a good club to be just myself, to show what I can do on the pitch. I can bring my experience here and just take some confidence here.

"I am not scared about the situation because I think it is a really good step for me, for my career.

"It is also really good sometimes to go in the floor, if I can say that, and after that just wake up, take the responsibility and grow up."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Jimmy Thelin says Aberdeen have a "clear picture" of what lies in wait in their Europa League play-off tie against Romanian side FCSB.

FCSB won 3-1 away to Kosovan team Drita on Thursday night to complete a 6-3 aggregate win in their third-round qualifier and Thelin revealed a member of his backroom staff was in attendance in Kosovo.

"We have made an analysis of the team and Christer Persson was there watching them yesterday so we have a clear picture of what we are going to face," the Swedish manager said.

"It is going to be an interesting game, they have their strengths but also the weaknesses of course."

Before the first leg at Pittodrie on 21 August, Aberdeen must first navigate a second-round League Cup tie at Greenock Morton and Thelin says they will not take the Cappielow outfit lightly.

"That is why everybody loves the cup - surprises can happen sometimes," he said.

"You always have to be humble when you go into these games, you have to be professional.

"We have to be at our best always. We are going to prepare for this game like every other game."

Aberdeen are looking for their first victory of the campaign, after losing their opening two Premiership games - away to Hearts and at home to Celtic.

Thelin insists he saw reasons to be optimistic despite the results.

"What we are trying to achieve here is the consistency of the team. We have a journey to do there, we are still on this track and I think we are improving.

"I know we didn't win these first two games. To grow as a person and as a player, the best way is to take responsibility and enjoy responsibility. That is my job with my staff to guide the players in this direction."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier Sports Cup last-16 trip to Championship side Grenock Morton.

Here are the best bits from his news conference:

• After bringing in Swedish winger Kenan Bilalovic, Thelin spoke of the need to find a balance in terms of investing in potential and those who can make an immediate impact in terms of recruitment.

• He says their recruitment team are working on brining in "direct, performance, impact players". Thelin also hopes there will be more deals concluded in the "next week".

• Despite losing their opening two games of the season, the manager believes the Dons are improving. However, he stressed they "have to do better" and become more consistent.

• On the trip to Morton, he says it is natural that "the pressure is on us", emphasising they need to be "humble" and "professional" against a side who have done well this season.

• On the prospect of facing FCSB in the Europa League qualifying play-off, Thelin says coach Christer Persson took in the Romanian champions' win over Kosovan side Drita last night - "we have a clear picture of what we are going to be facing".

• Team news: Mats Knoester, Kristers Tobers and Emmanuel Gyamfi remain out.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen will face Romanian side FCSB in the Europa League play-off, with the first leg at Pittodrie on Thursday, 21 August.

FCSB, formerly Steaua Bucharest, won 3-1 away to Kosovan team Drita on Thursday night to complete a 6-3 aggregate win in their third-round qualifier.

Should Aberdeen lose the two-legged play-off, they will gain direct entry to the Conference League.

Aberdeen defender Alexander Jensen is eager to return to Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup following the Dons' Scottish Cup success last season. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Image source, Aberdeen FC

Winger Kenan Bilalovic says it was an "easy decision" to choose Aberdeen and believes he is well suited to "fast and physical" Scottish football.

The 20-year-old Sweden youth international joins on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee from IFK Varnamo.

Aberdeen say the player had a "variety of options across Europe" but fellow Swede Jimmy Thelin's "long-term project" at Pittodrie was a key factor in the move.

"It feels good to be here," Bilalovic said. "I'm really excited to meet the players. I met the manager and the coaches at the training ground, and I've been given a great first impression by everyone.

"It was an easy decision to come to Aberdeen. The manager is a really good coach, he knows what he wants to do and how he wants to achieve it.

"It's an opportunity for me to show my skills and continue my development. The tempo will suit me well. I know it will be physical and fast here in Scotland, but I am at my peak fitness level, so I am ready for it.

"I know the atmosphere is good at the stadium, it gives you adrenaline on the pitch so I am looking forward to playing in front of the fans."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

The ruthless nature of football means that after just two games, sections of your support can already be writing you off.

Aberdeen fans were hardly enthused by the arrival of Kusini Yengi when a quick bit of research showed the striker had failed to score last season for Portsmouth.

The 26-year-old only played 534 minutes across 14 English Championship games in an injury-hit campaign, and a challenging introduction to his Dons career seems to have done little to win over his doubters.

Manager Jimmy Thelin has selected Yengi as his centre-forward in the opening 2-0 league defeats to Hearts and Celtic.

The Australia striker, who has six goals in 11 international caps, only had two shots across both games, one of which was a glaring miss in the defeat at Tynecastle.

Perhaps more worryingly, in 117 minutes of football, the forward has won just six of his 25 duels and four of his 17 aerial duels.

Questions and criticism from fans has to be expected, but writing off any player after such a brief period is unfair, particularly one who has started just six games in 12 months.

If Yengi can recover from a tough start at Aberdeen and replicate his 2023-24 form, which saw him score 19 goals for club and country, the Australian should prove to be a useful addition to Thelin's squad.

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

When looking at Aberdeen's opening two league fixtures of the season it is important to seek context and balance.

When they were handed Hearts away and Celtic home, fixtures they haven't won since 2017 and 2016 respectively, it was odds on they would not be collecting three points from either this time around.

That's not to say the Dons shouldn't have performed better on each occasion, with those defeats leaving them bottom of the Premiership for at least three weeks given they don't play another league match until Falkirk's visit at the end of the month after they chose to postpone next week's trip to Dundee United.

Despite a relatively promising opening 15 minutes against the champions, Jimmy Thelin's side fell away and didn't look like recovering at any stage as soon as Benjamin Nygren capitalised on a Sivert Nilsen error to give the visitors the lead.

Aberdeen lacked bite in midfield and were toothless up front though the club are working hard behind the scenes to remedy the ills of the latter.

The Scottish Cup holders now turn their attention to the League Cup and a date at Cappielow to face Morton.

Dougie Imrie's side have won two and drawn one of their three home games this season without conceding a goal. This game has danger written all over it for Thelin, who is in desperate need of resuscitating the feelgood factor that had enveloped the Granite City in the wake of their success in the other cup competition.

Questions are now being asked by pundits about whether the season preparation and transfer dealings have been good enough.

With a Europa League play-off following Saturday's banana skin, Thelin somehow needs to get this team firing otherwise those questions will get louder the longer he fails to come up with an answer.

Glen Schreuder
Fan writer

Why? Why? Why? After falling to another 2-0 defeat in the league the Red Army were left with more questions than answers as our search for our first points and goals of the season continue.

Why did Jimmy Thelin continue with a back four when a three worked so effectively last time we faced Celtic?

Why were Graeme Shinnie and Sivert Nilsen paired up in midfield when that hasn't proved to be the most effective, or pacey, partnership?

Why have we offered Kusini Yengi a three-year deal? The Aussie forward's Aberdeen career continues to wait for lift-off.

I said in my pre-season thoughts our start wouldn't be as exciting as last, and with no league game until the end of August we will continue to look up at the rest of the table for a few weeks yet.

Six points is a must from our next two Premiership outings - Falkirk and Livingston at home.

I don't think the panic button needs hit yet, but is there cause for concern given it is five league wins in 29 games.

it is imperative we get a victory at Morton in the League Cup this weekend to get some feelgood factor before the Europa League play-off.

Glen can be found at Red Tinted Glasses, external

AC Milan striker Marko Lazetic is currently sorting out a visa as the 21-year-old looks to complete his switch to Aberdeen on a free transfer, with a sell-on clause of up to 50%. (Sky Sports), external

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen full-back Nicky Devlin says it is down to all of the squad to help struggling striker Kusini Yengi get to grips with life at Pittodrie.

The summer arrival from Portsmouth had another testing afternoon against Celtic and a poor Scottish Premiership debut against Hearts the week prior, with his side losing both games 2-0.

The 26-year-old arrived at Aberdeen on a free transfer on the back of a barren second season in front of goal with Portsmouth, although he did net twice for Australia in a World Cup qualifier against Bahrain.

Devlin said: "It's probably important for the rest of us to give him more opportunity. There were times he was having to feed off balls that weren't great quality into him.

"He was fighting against two big centre-halves, which was obviously making it difficult for him. I think we have to probably get the ball in better areas, play more to his strengths.

"It's his first taste of being up here, it's only his second game in the league. It's probably more about other people doing a wee bit more to support him and getting the ball into areas that we know he can be dangerous.

"We've seen it in training already, we've seen it in some of the pre-season games. We have to play more to his strengths at times, get the ball into areas that we know he's going to hurt teams.

"We wanted to start the first home game with picking up points, but ultimately I don't think we've done enough in the game to trouble Celtic."

Aberdeen now face a wait to return to top-flight action and climb off the foot of the table, with their next fixture on August 31 against Falkirk, owing to their League Cup and European commitments.

We asked for your views on Aberdeen's 2-0 defeat to Celtic.

Here's what you said:

Andrew: Aberdeen are absolutely appalling and must be candidates for relegation even this early. This is simply non-football from a team that cannot even manage the basics required from a team!

Fergus: On this performance and how Aberdeen are starting the season, how long before Jimmy Thelin is under pressure? I predict happily he will be gone before Christmas.

Donald: Thelin doesn't know what he's doing. Aberdeen have some good players, but Thelin's tactics are naïve. I doubt he'll last the season.

Wullie: Aberdeen are the worst team in the league, barring Falkirk, from what I've seen so far.

The basic ability to hold on to the ball and make simple passes is just not there, defence is all over the place, no midfield, and the worst striker the club has ever seen. Thelin is out of his depth and in a worse state than last season. Winning the Scottish cup was the best and worst thing that could have happened to Aberdeen, bottom of the top six at very best.

Alan: Why so negative from Aberdeen? Every throw-in goes backwards and puts the defence under pressure. No ambition in the team at all.

Steve: I fear for Aberdeen this season. First half of last season they "flattered to deceive". A run of good luck and narrow wins made them look far better than they were. The second half of season I think was a more realistic representation of their performance level.

If they repeat their second-half performance from last season for the whole of this, they will be deep in the relegation battle. The first two games of this season only back up my gloomy assessment.

Graham: Sivert Heltne Nilsen and Graeme Shinnie's combination does not work. We found that out last season. Amount of time to swap Leighton Clarkson for Nilsen was criminal, and they scored the second goal in that time.