Aberdeen

Glen Schreuder
Fan writer

Kevin Nisbet is back and it's better late than never after the Dons again failed to score against Falkirk on Sunday.

We badly need a threat at the top end of the pitch as our powder-puff strike options were brutally exposed in defeat by the Bairns.

Jesper Karlsson looks a real coup too. He will add goals and assists, and no shortage of flair! Again, Sunday's defeat highlighted the need for a player of his quality.

Take nothing away from Falkirk, but Aberdeen are providing more questions than answers currently. I am sure Jimmy Thelin will be doing his best to answer those over the international break.

Failing to beat a newly-promoted side at Pittodrie is not good enough, and we face another in Livingston next time out.

That too has a must-win feel to it. Jimmy still has credit in the bank with the board and fans, but judging by the mass exodus and reaction at full-time, patience is wearing thin amid a dire run of form.

Glen can be found at Red Tinted Glasses., external

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Sweden winger Jesper Karlsson hopes joining Aberdeen can reignite his international career.

The 27-year-old moved to the Dons on loan from Bologna on deadline day to reunite with his former Elfsborg boss Jimmy Thelin.

Karlsson joined Bologna for £9.5m two years ago, but has struggled to make an impact and spent the second half of last season on loan at fellow Serie A side Lecce.

Karlsson, who won the last of his 14 Sweden caps in October 2023, said: "I am really happy to have signed for Aberdeen.

"When I spoke with the manager and staff their desire for me to come here was clear and that was hugely important to me.

"I believe I can come here and get game-time, which I hope will help my efforts to get back into the national team.

"This is a historic club with big ambition and I look forward to playing at Pittodrie in front of the Red Army."

Aberdeen made a late double signing on deadline day with striker Kevin Nisbet returning on a permanent deal and Sweden winger Jesper Karlsson arriving on loan.

That took Jimmy Thelin's summer signings haul to a dozen, while impactful winger and fans' favourite Shayden Morris was the final departure as he switched to Luton Town.

Dons fans, are you pleased with the club's transfer business? Does it leave the squad in good shape for the season ahead - or is Thelin light in certain positions?

Let us know your thoughts.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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Aberdeen are hoping to complete a deal to sign striker Kevin Nisbet, who spent last season on loan at Pittodrie, from Millwall.

The deal is being finalised.

Scotland international Nisbet scored 14 goals and contributed a further five assists in 38 appearances for Aberdeen last term.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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It should be a "quite busy" deadline day at Pittodrie.

Those were the words of Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin in the aftermath of Sunday's 1-0 Scottish Premiership defeat to Falkirk.

"We have identified things we want to improve," explained the Swede.

Having played three league games, lost them all and failed to score a goal, at least one striker will be top of the shopping list.

And don't be surprised if the Dons add to other areas of a squad which appears light in numbers for the rigours of both domestic and European competition over the coming months.

In terms of players heading through the exit door, Shayden Morris has already departed for Luton Town and there may well be others who follow.

We asked for your thoughts after Aberdeen lost again in the Premiership, this time against newly-promoted Falkirk.

Here is what some of you had to say:

Doug: Five wins in more than 30 games doesn't feel like a 'project' on the right track. The cup win feelgood factor has evaporated in a glaring goal-free void. The rumoured sale of young Fletcher Boyd to Aston Villa is another example of proven talent being swapped for players hoping Aberdeen will help them rediscover their lost mojos. The whole club seems lost at the minute.

Bob: Replacing men with boys. There doesn't appear to be any ambition at Pittodrie. Relegation material for sure.

Colin: The midfield never manages to take control of a match. The defending is at times embarrassing. Attacks break down as soon as they near the penalty area. There is no movement to anticipate passes and open up defences. There is no striker worth the name. Jimmy Thelin's mumbled platitudes get more irritating every week. The results are dire. How long can we continue like this?

Allen: Even though he won the cup, Thelin is not up to the job. He is far too quiet. Nae goals, nae points and bottom of the league with little chance of improvement. The man has to go.

Dick: From assessment of the play against FCSB and Falkirk the outfield play and activity in the opposition box is more exciting than last year. The creation of quality opportunities and ability to convert them is still not there and this defence will continue to leak goals.

Malky: How long will it take before Thelin is scrutinised? Cup win aside, and of course I wouldn't trade it in for anything, the league record is abysmal. We are one of the most predictable teams in the league & never look like scoring.

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Jimmy Thelin insists the money received for Shayden Morris will be reinvested in the Aberdeen squad and reveals the winger's mind was "elsewhere".

Luton Town have signed Morris for an undisclosed fee having had two bids rejected earlier in the summer.

The former Fleetwood player made 87 appearances for the Dons, scoring five goals.

The Englishman played a central role in Aberdeen's Scottish Cup triumph last season, but with just nine months left on his contract, Aberdeen have agreed to move him on.

"Shayden has had a really positive impact for the club during my time in Aberdeen," Thelin said.

"However, he made it clear to us that this was a move he was keen to explore and with his current contract situation the club has ensured it received good value to allow us to continue to invest in the playing squad.

"Whilst Shayden has been professional throughout, when a player's mind is made up and is effectively elsewhere, it is important we focus all our attention on the players who are here to help the team continue to grow.

"It is also vital the club continue to develop and sell players, it's part of the model we are operating. This gives us a good fee now, an opportunity to earn more if he and Luton do well, and a healthy interest in the player should his career flourish and he goes on again."

Watch all the highlights from Falkirk's 1-0 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie as the hosts picked up their first top-flight win in 15 years.

UK users only.

Slovenian striker Ester Sokler could leave Aberdeen before the transfer deadline - if the Dons can bring in another striker to replace the 26-year-old. (Daily Record), external

Aberdeen attacking midfielder Fletcher Boyd has completed a medical ahead of a £1m move to Aston Villa and the 17-year-old has agreed terms on a three-year contract with the Premier League club. (Sky Sports), external

Image source, BBC Sport

New loan signing Kyrell Wilson's second half strike secured Falkirk their first Scottish Premiership win in 15 years against a 10-man Aberdeen, who faced their third league loss in as many matches this season.

Read the full match report

Have your say here

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "The level we're performing at right now in terms of our calmness of play and decision making as a team is not good enough and that's my responsibility. We need to sit down now and find a way to win games.

"I think we can do better when we're a man down and try to keep a clean sheet.

"We don't need to get so stressed in those situations. It's small things and we have to make better decisions under pressure. That's the main thing for us just now.

"It's my responsibility to push the players in the right direction and balance the team.

"We need to win games now and get the rhythm going. We need to show our fans we are strong team. I have a strong belief we can fix this and this break is our best opportunity to make a difference when we come back.

"We have no points and no goals. Some of the performances have been okay, but it's not good enough.

"We have to adjust some parts and find a pathway forward."

The Scottish transfer window closes at 23:00 BST on Monday 1 September so there's still time for business to be done.

What do Aberdeen need to do before the window slams shut?

Have your say here

Aston Villa are in talks to sign Fletcher Boyd, with Aberdeen wanting £1m and a significant sell-on clause for the 17-year-old. (Sky Sports), external

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Aberdeen have completed the signing of Scotland youth international Mitchel Frame from Celtic for an undisclosed fee.

The 19-year-old has signed a four-year deal at Pittodrie after making just one solitary appearance for Celtic's first team.

Frame, who plays at left-back, came on for the last 15 minutes of Celtic's 2-1 win over Feyenoord in the Champions League group stage back in December 2023.

Most of his experience so far comes in the Lowland League, but he has also made numerous appearances for Scotland's under-17 and under-19 youth teams.

"We have been monitoring Mitchel's progress for some time, and we are very pleased we have eventually managed to sign him", said Dons boss Jimmy Thelin.

"He is a forward-thinking full back, with pace and physicality, and he fits well with how we want to play and what our expectations are of our full backs. His arrival will also give us more resilience and stability in that area of the pitch.

"He's an exciting talent and we look forward to working with him to help him release his future potential."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Despite leaving Aberdeen as the club's record sale, there was a sense Girona were signing Bojan Miovski for a snip last summer.

The new Rangers striker's record of 44 goals in 98 Dons games averaged out at almost a goal every other game.

That form prompted Girona to spend a reported £6.5m to take the North Macedonia forward to La Liga.

Things have not worked out for Miovski in Spain, though. He has failed to nail down a starting spot, scoring just four goals in 23 matches.

During his time in Scotland, we know the former Aberdeen man ranked as one of the league's top strikers, netting 18 times across all competitions in his first season before bagging 26 the following campaign.

So Rangers know they are getting someone with a proven Scottish Premiership record who is potentially entering his peak years.

What they are also getting is a striker who does not hide in big matches.

Rangers have first-hand experience of that. In nine meetings with the Ibrox side, Miovski scored four times. Against Celtic, he netted three times in seven matches.

A combined seven goals in 16 games against the Old Firm is certainly an eye-catching record with Celtic set to visit Ibrox on Sunday.

The 26-year-old also netted in three of his four visits to Hampden with the Dons, including a memorable winner for a 10-man Aberdeen side against Hibernian in the 2023 League Cup semi-finals.

A European record of four goals in seven games makes for impressive reading, too.

Amid a troubling start to the season, Rangers' summer recruits have faced criticism from fans and pundits for seeming to not have the mentality, or quality, to succeed at the club.

Miovski's Aberdeen evidence suggests he would thrive off that expectation.

Rangers fans, what do you make of Miovski's arrival? Send us your thoughts.

We asked for your views on Aberdeen facing Shakhtar Donetsk, Strasbourg and Noah at home and Sparta Prague, AEK Athens and AEK Larnaca away in the Conference League.

Here's what some of you said:

James: Tough set of fixtures. Need to win against Noah and Larnaca, and if we can sneak a win against one of the bigger sides, it should give us a chance of the play-offs.

Angus: We pretty much got the highest quality teams from every pot. Whether that will help us grow or hinder us financially will be tough to tell. Difficult times this year though.

Graeme: I can see us getting just one win here, against Noah, and maybe even not that.

Ron: Being realistic, the Dons will find it tough, but Jimmy Thelin needs to buy a striker and a central defender to augment a side that will be stretched. More games in a congested calendar.

Need luck with injuries and luck with the VAR shambles of one or two of last year's matches, and we need to see out games when trying to hold on to slender leads. It will be challenging in all respects.

Stuart: If we get our team sorted out in the next month, it's possible we could get eight points from the league. Definitely dodged a bullet by avoiding the Europa League!

Arch: There's nobody in that group the Dons can't beat. On the other hand, there's nobody in that group that can't beat the Dons. It will be interesting. As I spend a lot of time in Cyprus I may go to the Larnaca match, it would be the furthest I've gone for an away game.

Callum: Draw could have been worse but also better. Take a home game against a pot one side. Never an easy game in Europe, so long as it's a good performance every game and do what we can do, we may have a chance of reaching the knockouts.

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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The flight home from Bucharest must have felt like a trip around the world for Ester Sokler and his Aberdeen team-mates.

The Dons dropped out of the Europa League and into the Conference League in agonising fashion as a first-half red card and penalty for FCSB turned the finely-poised play-off tie in favour of the Romanian champions.

In the aftermath of that painful defeat, manager Jimmy Thelin and defender Mats Knoester were quick to stress that "game-changing" decision was not an excuse, but it sure scuppered their chances.

As did Sokler's sitter inside the opening two minutes.

Handed a start after his thundering header in the first leg at Pittodrie hauled Aberdeen level, the Slovenian had the chance to slot his side ahead for the first time in the tie when the ball broke to him in the six-yard box.

The effort was timid and time proved it to be costly.

The striker struggles for consistency and starting berths, but had that gone in, it just might have been the launchpad he needed.

He was sacrificed at half-time as Thelin shuffled his pack following Alexander Jensen's dismissal.

A challenging Conference League campaign now awaits the Dons, but not before they attempt to pick up their first league win of the season against newly-promoted Falkirk.

Read more: Weekend's Scottish Premiership picks

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Marko Lazetic could be in the Aberdeen squad for the first time although manager Jimmy Thelin plans to ease the Serbian in gently. Defenders Kristers Tobers and Emmanuel Gyamfi are set to remain sidelined.

Falkirk will include new signing Kyrell Wilson after the winger joined on loan from Swansea but Aidan Nesbitt, who is facing three months out injured, joins Ethan Ross, Jamie Sneddon, Tom Lang, Finn Yeats, Coll Donaldson and Barney Stewart on the sidelines.

Aberdeen also explored a deal for the return of Bojan Miovski before the Macedonia striker signed a four-year contract with Rangers, having completed a medical in Paris after an initial fee of £3m was agreed with Girona for the 26-year-old. (Filip Mishov on X), external

Luton Town have agreed a deal to sign 23-year-old Aberdeen winger Shayden Morris. (Anthony Joseph on X), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Aberdeen have learned their Conference League opponents.

Jimmy Thelin's side will host Shakhtar Donetsk, Strasbourg and Armenian side Noah - and visit Sparta Prague, AEK Athens and AEK Larnaca.

Fixture details will be confirmed by Uefa this weekend.

What do you make of the draw? Can the Dons make the play-off rounds?

Share your views here.