Duncan Shearer: Number 9 like Bojan Miovski - but not Miovski - top of the transfer wish-list for Aberdeen this summer

Press and Journal

2 days ago

A striker must be top of the list of priorities for Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin this summer.
The Dons confirmed their list of departures last week – and none of the names came as a surprise.
Kevin Nisbet and Oday Dabbagh were the two strikers on the list of players leaving Pittodrie, and as well as Nisbet did for the club, I'll be surprised if we see him back.
Millwall boss Alex Neil will, quite rightly, want to have a look at the Scotland international for himself, and it's no secret Nisbet will be on a very good wage in the English Championship.
A package to bring the player back to Pittodrie would eat up a significant portion of the club's summer transfer kitty.
Sadly, the same would be said for any Aberdeen fans dreaming of Bojan Miovski making a shock return to Pittodrie this summer…
Reports from Spain claim Girona are looking to move the North Macedonia international on, but as much as I'd love to see Miovski leading the lead for Aberdeen again, I think the chances are slim.
If Girona are willing to send him on loan then maybe, but even then it seems unlikely for me – and I just don't see the Dons paying the substantial fee it would take to bring him back permanently.
It's a Miovski-type figure they should be looking for, though.
We knew nothing of him when he arrived in Scottish football from MTK Budapest, but it became apparent very quickly he was a class act.
Aberdeen's scouting network has expanded significantly in the Dave Cormack era and the net is cast much wider these days.
If the Dons can pull another Mivoski out of the hat then their team will carry a serious attacking threat next season.
There will be other positions in need of strengthening, such as the left-back position now that Jack MacKenzie has signed for Plymouth Argyle.
But keeping the Aberdeen squad together is just as important as the recruitment.
Shayden Morris' breakthrough season for the club saw him named player of the year at Pittodrie.
Five goals and 13 assists are a fine return for a wide player, but with Morris now moving into the final year of his contract, extending his stay is crucial.
If he maintains the progress he has made then I can see a big move happening for him in the future. His pace alone is such an asset.
But the club needs to protect its investment in the former Fleetwood Town winger.
Leighton Clarkson's strong end to the season will also have attracted interest – and you don't come through the Liverpool academy unless you have something about you.
Mats Knoester has also been outstanding since he joined the club in the winter window.
The Dutchman was a big reason for the club's recovery from a mid-season slump and was terrific alongside Jack Milne and Alfie Dorrington in the Scottish Cup final win against Celtic.
I should probably add the manager to that list, too.
When you beat one of the big boys – and they don't come bigger in Scottish football than Celtic right now – people tend to take notice.
When you beat them for silverware, you're effectively putting a target on your back.
Jimmy Thelin has done just that by guiding Aberdeen to cup glory.
Clubs in England think nothing of taking a punt on a manager who has enjoyed a modicum of success, and Thelin's name will be on the file of potential new managers for clubs in the months ahead.
He strikes me as a guy who is committed to the project he has taken on at Aberdeen, but we won't know for sure until a club tries to tempt him and test his club's resolve.
I'm pleased to hear Don Cowie will be staying on to lead Ross County's bid to win promotion back to the Premiership.
But I'm saddened to see Carl Tremarco and Paul Cowie leave the club.
It's never pleasant to see people lose their jobs, and I'm sure both Carl and Paul will be back in the game somewhere soon enough.
It's clear chairman Roy MacGregor felt he had to make some changes following the club's relegation from the top-flight.
There's a big rebuilding job needed at the Staggies this summer, but it became apparent pretty quickly that Roy was backing Don.
Had he wanted to make a change it would have happened already – and before decisions were made on players leaving the club in the last few ways.
The addition of John Robertson to the backroom staff as assistant manager will help.
Robbo has the experience and the contacts in the game to help Don and he will be the perfect foil for the manager in the new-look coaching team.
He'll need to delve into that contact list to help Don reshape his squad for the new campaign in the Championship..
Seven loan players – Jonathan Tomkinson, Jack Grieves, Zac Ashworth, Kacper Lopata, Eli Campbell, Will Nightingale and Nohan Kenneh – have returned to their clubs, while Scott Allardice, James Brown and Ryan Leak have left.
That's 10 guys already out the door if you are keeping count, and I know from speaking to the chairman in the past how frustrating he finds having to start over with building a squad every summer.
It's the nature of the beast for County due to the club's location and it has been a major challenge for every manager who has been there.
Robbo can only help Don on that front.
I look at the division and I'm convinced it is getting tougher every season – it's certainly a more competitive Championship than it has been for years.
In St Johnstone, Partick Thistle, Ayr United, Raith Rovers and Dunfermline, that's five teams who will be expecting to be in the hunt for the title alongside the Staggies before a ball has been kicked.