Aberdeen have opened talks to sign 19-year-old Western Sydney Wanderers attacker Marcus Younis, with PSV Eindhoven are also interested in the Australian. (Press & Journal, external - subscription required)
Inverness Caley Thistle are keen on a loan deal for 18-year-old Aberdeen striker Alfie Bavidge. (Press & Journal, external - subscription required)
Image source, SNSAberdeen lost all three of their league meetings with Kilmarnock last season, all without scoring. This is as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 35 league matches against Killie beforehand (W25 D7 L3).
After winning their visit to Aberdeen in last season’s Scottish Premiership 1-0 in December, Kilmarnock could win successive league trips against the Dons for the first time since August 2010.
Aberdeen are unbeaten in their last 11 league games (W8 D3), last going 12 without loss in the Scottish Premiership in February 2016 – that includes two wins from two this season, with the Dons last winning their opening three games of a top-flight campaign in 2017-18.
Kilmarnock have lost their opening two Scottish Premiership games of the 2024-25 season by an aggregate score of 0-7 (0-4 v Celtic, 0-3 v St. Johnstone); the only team to have made a worse pointless start in the competition after two games this century are Hamilton Academical in 2010-11 (minus eight goal difference).
Jamie McGrath has been directly involved in five goals in his last three Scottish Premiership appearances (three goals, two assists), scoring and assisting in each of Aberdeen’s two league games this term; the last player to score and assist in three straight outings in the competition was Celtic’s Anthony Stokes in May 2014.
Image source, SNSAberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin doesn't accept that Kilmarnock's European commitments mean the Dons are getting them at a good time this weekend.
The sides meet at Pittodrie on Sunday in a Premiership encounter which is sandwiched between Killie's UEFA Conference League play-off double header with Copenhagen.
"I never think like that because it is two different competitions and they have a good experienced manager in Derek [McInnes]," Thelin said.
"They have a strong squad and I am sure they are going to be really prepared for the game against us.
"I don’t think like advantage and these kind of things I always try to prepare and focus on what we can do and do the best we can do."
Killie had considered asking for the Dons date to be rescheduled given their continental commitments.
But with the game going ahead as scheduled, Thelin was asked if he has any sympathy for his opponents as they continue to juggle both domestic and European fixtures.
"For me that is a bigger question, it is a big question for the league and how we want to prepare ourselves for the European games, but I haven’t thought about the specific situation," he said.
"I am new in this league; I don’t know exactly how it impacts on the games so I think we have more and better people than me to talk about that question, after the season maybe and before next season.
"I only have my experience from Sweden when we were in Europe where we have three games a week and we don’t talk about it so much during the season. We just play the games and we keep moving.
"It is always good for Scottish football if you are strong in Europe, but for me right now I haven’t thought about that at all."
Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSAberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before Sunday’s Scottish Premiership fixture against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie.
Here are the best bits from his press conference:
When asked if it was a good time to play Kilmarnock given their opponent’s European commitments, Thelin simply said "they have a good experienced manager and a strong squad, and I am sure they are going to be really prepared for the game against us".
He was asked if he thought the league here should do more to help clubs playing in Europe. During his time in Sweden, he says they would play three games a week when in European competition, and hasn't given it much thought. "It is always good for Scottish football if you are strong in Europe, but for me right now I haven’t thought about that at all."
Thelin wouldn’t be drawn on commenting on any of the club's reported signing targets.
He did say "we have a really healthy competition right now in the squad" adding they have "a good team spirit".
On building on Aberdeen's excellent start to the season, he said they need to try to keep the momentum going but stressed the need to "stay humble".
Thelin spoke of his delight that he has "had so many different goal scorers" in his squad.
Team news: Dante Polvara and Leighton Clarkson remain sidelined, and there was no update on the ongoing situation surrounding absent forward Duk.
All 12 Premiership sides provided a total of 15,101 minutes to Scottish players aged under 21 in the 2023-24 season.
Those minutes average out to just 1,258 per club, which is the equivalent of only 14 full 90-minute matches.
Six teams failed to reach a total above 700 minutes.
Celtic and Rangers were the worst offenders in the division, with Celtic managing just 89 minutes all in, while Rangers' total was even lower at only 26.
Manager Jimmy Thelin hopes starring for Aberdeen can propel new signing Topi Keskinen into Finland's senior squad. (Press & Journal)
Read the rest of Thursday's gossip.
Aberdeen’s quarter-final against The Spartans will take place on Saturday, 21 September at 17:30 BST.
The game will be shown live on Premier Sports.
The Dons beat Queen's Park 1-0 to reach the last eight while fourth-tier Spartans stunned Ross County 1-0.
The above table relates to the pre-split fixtures in the 2023-24 Scottish Premiership season
A lack of first-team action given to youngsters in the Premiership backs up the Scottish FA's assertion that Scotland is not bringing through enough emerging talent.
Just three of the 12 top-flight teams are able to say they provided over 2,000 minutes to Scots aged under 21 across last season's pre-split fixtures.
Dundee sit top of the 2023-24 table with 3,538, but a large chunk of that was clocked up by the one player - Lyall Cameron.
The same applies to the three next best clubs on the chart, Aberdeen (Connor Barron), Kilmarnock (David Watson) and Motherwell (Lennon Miller).
At the bottom of the table are both Old Firm clubs, with the pair posting concerning figures - Celtic just 89 minutes and Rangers only 26.
The report uses Hungary's top flight - a 12-team league - as a direct comparison. It shows Honved provided 6,544 minutes to Hungarian under-21 players, PAFC reached more than 5,000 and two more clubs achieved over 3,000.
Click here to read more on how Scottish football is failing young players.
Image source, SNSMotherwell's Lennon Miller and David Watson of Kilmarnock
Clubs in Scotland are failing to bring through enough young players, a report, external by the Scottish FA has said.
The governing body says Scottish football is "significantly underachieving its potential" in youth development compared to countries of a similar size.
Using a range of data to compare leagues across Europe, it shows players under the age of 21 in Scotland are playing fewer minutes in the top-flight than countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Croatia.
Meanwhile, game time for young Scottish players in major European club competitions ranks below countries with smaller populations and fewer resources, such as Montenegro and North Macedonia.
It also stresses clubs are missing an opportunity to reduce wage costs and increase transfer revenue by developing their own players.
The report was commissioned by the SFA's professional game board at the end of 2023, and a working party comprised of SPFL and SFA representatives will now consider its findings.
Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator
It's been another productive week for Aberdeen as they made it through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup - and despite leaving it late, cup ties are all about being in the hat for the next round.
The win over Queen’s Park, courtesy of debutant Topi Keskinen’s superb goal, which owed much to a terrific assist from Sivert Heltne Nilsen, saw them win 1-0 against their Championship visitors who were left to rue missing two huge chances.
It was the first game in the post-Bojan Miovski era and his apparent successor Ester Sokler was unlucky to be denied a goal that would have done wonders for his confidence by the most dubious of offside calls.
The last-eight draw was kind to the Dons with a visit from fourth-tier Spartans to come for a place in the semi-finals and, despite the League 2 side’s heroics against Ross County, the hosts will be big favourites to give new manager Jimmy Thelin a quickfire taste of Hampden in the autumn.
Saturday’s victory was a seventh on the bounce for Thelin and he will hope to make it eight when Kilmarnock visit Pittodrie on Sunday off the back for their Conference League play-off first leg in Copenhagen.
Killie had tentatively explored the possibility of seeking a postponement and then flying straight to Aberdeen from Denmark, but neither came to fruition and they will make their way to Prestwick after the match.
There's little doubt that will hand the Dons an advantage, something the Ayrshire team enjoyed last season when Barry Robson's side produced an insipid performance at Rugby Park just over 60 hours after a late, morale-sapping 3-2 Conference League defeat to PAOK.
With a trip to Ross County to follow before the international break, Thelin has the chance to produce Aberdeen’s best winning start to a league season since 2015.
And it shouldn’t go unnoticed that the team as a whole has only suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Celtic in a Scottish Cup semi-final in their last 17 games across all competitions going back into last season.
Image source, SNSEx-Hibernian striker Kevin Nisbet would be a good fit to replace Bojan Miovski at Pittodrie, says former Aberdeen forward Lee Miller.
The 27-year-old has struggled to make an impact at English Championship side Millwall since departing Easter Road in June last year.
And following Miovski's big-money move to Girona, reports have suggested Aberdeen are interested in bringing Nisbet back to Scotland.
Miller, who played more than 140 games for the Dons between 2006 and 2010, says he would be surprised to see the former Hibs man return north so soon but feels he needs regular game time.
Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, Miller said: "He's 27, he should be in his prime. He needs to play games because he's a very, very good player. On the top of his game he can be really effective and Aberdeen could be a good fit.
"But I would be surprised if he came back up to the Scottish game because when you go down south, you kind of jump about in the merry-go-round.
"Although, I don't know his personal situation. He could be missing home, missing his friends, missing his family.
"But he's not featured as much as he probably thought he would down there. Sometimes you don't realise how hustle and bustle it is. You're playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. It's a real long slog."
Former striker Lee Miller, who turned out for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock among others, recounts his experiences of being on the move on transfer deadline day during his playing career.
Listen and subscribe to the Scottish football podcast on BBC Sounds
Aberdeen defender Gavin Molloy wants to help his side make Pittodrie a fortress. (Press and Journal - subscription), external
Image source, SNSManager Jimmy Thelin and defender Nicky Devlin celebrate the win over Queen's Park on Saturday
It's not often a win over lower-league opposition holds such significance for a club like Aberdeen, but Saturday's late victory over Queen's Park was a record-breaking result for the man in the home dugout at Pittodrie.
Having guided the Dons to seven wins from seven games at the start of his tenure, Jimmy Thelin has now made the best start of any manager in the club's history.
Granted, five of those victories have come against lower-league teams in the League Cup - including Saturday's and the four previous group games - but there is no sign of the Pittodrie feelgood factor fizzling out.
Back-to-back Premiership triumphs over St Johnstone and St Mirren have caught the eye - only the Dons and Celtic have 100% win rates in the top flight after two games.
Thelin has received praise for some of the intense, direct and aggressive football Aberdeen have played during the infancy of his tenue, but the team have also shown the ability to grind out wins and bounce back from conceding.
With a home encounter against Kilmarnock to come on Sunday, the Dons can take their points tally from six to nine with another victory.
And a League Cup quarter-final with fourth-tier Spartans presents a fantastic opportunity for Thelin to guide his team to Hampden at the first attempt.
Following Saturday's last-16 success, Dons midfielder Sivert Heltne Nilsen highlighted the positive energy at Pittodrie and stressed the importance of building on it.
"The feeling in the stadium was very good," he said. "It’s really important that the fans and the whole city feel are with us now.
"Hopefully we can keep that momentum to grow and get a little bit better and use it as motivation for taking small steps all the time."
Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet is wanted by Aberdeen, who want to see if a potential loan deal can be agreed with the 27-year-old having fallen down the pecking order with Millwall. (Daily Record), external
Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.
Image source, SNSRyan Duncan has left Aberdeen to join Championship side Queen's Park on a season-long loan.
The 20-year-old winger made three appearances off the bench in the League Cup group stage earlier this season under new manager Jimmy Thelin.
Since earning a first-team debut as a substitute at Rangers in November 2020, Duncan has gone on to make 16 starts and 37 appearances off the bench for the Dons, scoring twice.
The youngster signed a new contract at Aberdeen in 2023, which keeps him at the club until at least the summer of 2026.
Image source, SNSAberdeen will welcome League 2 side The Spartans to Pittodrie next month for their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final tie.
Jimmy Thelin's side narrowly beat Queen' Park 1-0 on Saturday, while Dougie Samuel's fourth-tier side beat Ross County by the same margin at the same time.
The tie will take place on the weekend of 21-22 September.
We asked you for your thoughts after Aberdeen sneaked by Queen's Park to progress into the League Cup quarter-finals.
Here's what you had to say:
Bruce: Queens Park did well and should have scored. Credit to Jimmy for taking time to see what players can do, but at least two of the starting 11 shouldn’t have been there. We need an end product.
Sokler doesn’t have that 'spidey sense' of right place, right time so I suspect we’ll be looking for another wide player and striker.
Stuart: Maybe just a wake-up call that you can’t assume these type of games are going to be smooth sailing, however it’s another win so onwards and upwards.
Stew: Awful game. Aberdeen were lucky not to be 0-2 down at half-time, as they were slow and not slick enough in the build-up. Need to speed up play. Everything goes through Sivert Heltne Nilsen and he can't run. When they play better teams the will get picked off.
Marti: Not getting carried away, but Jimmy has got the lads playing. The passing at times is sublime. Not expecting miracles this season but it's looking good with cracking signings too.
Allan: It’s all about getting into the next round in cup football. We dominated the game but need to be more clinical in the penalty box, but remember it is a work in progress. Another different goal scorer so that’s good. The sooner Angus is back playing the tighter the defence will be, and our keeper looks very assured.
David: Not an amazing performance today, but a win is a win. Good to see us fighting to the end. Topi looks like he will be a great asset for us and what a way to introduce himself to the crowd.
Fred: An exciting game and great to see our winning run continue. The new signings are performing well but I still think we need a proven striker as we may still struggle against the higher quality opposition that will soon present themselves. We now have the funds, lets buy a proven striker to lead the attack.
Image source, SNSAberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin told BBC Scotland: "We needed some luck to go through. Their goalkeeper made good saves, you have to respect that and their fight and their belief.
"The fans stayed with us after first half and pushed us to the winning goal. Sometimes you need that extra push when the opponent defends well."
On his 100% record so far, he added: "It's not been smooth! You have to find a way to win games. We still have things to improve.
"We need to keep trying and grow and be better all the time and have strong determination to manage the league and Cup games. So far so good."
New signing Topi Keskinen came off the bench to score a late winner on his debut as Aberdeen squeezed Queen’s Park in the Premier Sports Cup last 16.
The game looked certain to head to extra time until Finnish winger Keskinen, a midweek arrival from HJK Helsinki, turned brilliantly in the box to rifle home a 92nd-minute strike.
The Dons have now won every game this season under new boss Jimmy Thelin, making it seven out of seven with the victory over their Championship opposition.
What did you make of the game, Aberdeen fans? Was that a deserved victory? Did you think it was going to extra time?
Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSDespite the strength of Aberdeen's squad compared to Queen's Park, the Dons missed Bojan Miovski up front - a player who would have finished the umpteen chances that Aberdeen created.
They need a new talisman, and auditions are still ongoing.
MacKenzie at left-back might be an unlikely candidate. He bombed up and down the left and was a real goal-scoring threat.
Jamie McGrath is another contender, as is Sivert Heltne Nilssen - a tough-tackling midfielder who keeps things nice and simple in the middle of the park.
However, it was Keskinen who really announced himself. A lot of money has been spent on the 21-year-old and expectations are high as a result. A game-winning goal on debut goes some way to recouping the money spent.
Image source, SNSJack MacKenzie. The improvement in the academy graduate is incredible and he has become a solid Premiership left-back, showing potential to go even further.
Strong and imposing, his athleticism saw him get in behind the Queen's Park defence time and again.
He perhaps could have scored today, but getting that high up the pitch is still relatively new in his game and he should become more composed in time.
Image source, SNSAberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Milne, Molloy, MacKenzie, Morris, Heltne Nilsen, Shinnie, McGrath, Sokler, Gueye.
Substitutes: Doohan, Jensen, McGarry, Besuijen, Palaversa, MacDonald, Ambrose, Bavidge, Keskinen.
Queen's Park: Ferrie, Kerr, Murray, Ujdur, Scott, Welsh, Turner, Thomson, Thomas, Rudden, Longridge.
Substitutes: Wills, MacGregor, McLeish, Hinds, Connolly, McDonnell, MacKenzie, McGinlay, Fieldson.
