A new year is upon us and you know what that means for Scottish football – the transfer window opens on Saturday.
It is the annual month where clubs have to play their own versions of stick or twist.
There’s a myriad of questions to be tackled for Aberdeen.
For starters should the Dons sell the player who will not commit to a new contract or let him leave for nothing as they need him for the second half of the season? Yes, we’re looking at you Ryan Hedges.
The former Barnsley winger will be out of contract in the summer and the noises about him staying have been anything but positive.
The Wales international has been keeping his options open which, let’s be honest, is never an encouraging development and all signs are now pointing to him leaving the club.
The where seems increasingly likely to be Ewood Park, home of Blackburn Rovers, but the when and how are unclear. Rovers are keen to agree a pre-contract with Hedges.
If successful the ball will be in their court as to whether they want him on board before the window closes to help their push for promotion to the Premier League or whether they are content to wait until the summer.
If Hedges goes could McGrath be his replacement?
The same issue which could lead to the Dons losing Hedges could work in their favour when it comes to Jamie McGrath of St Mirren.
The Republic of Ireland international, like Hedges, is in the final six months of his deal with the Paisley club.
Dons boss Stephen Glass is an admirer of the Republic of Ireland international while Hibernian failed in a late deadline day bid at the 11th hour. With Jack Ross now gone from Easter Road it’s unclear whether there will still be interest from Leith.
But the Dons are still keen – which could bring Matty Kennedy into the equation.
The former St Johnstone winger has missed the first half of the season due to injury. The Buddies were interested and were given permission to speak to Kennedy about a move to Paisley before his back injury came to light.
With Kennedy back training just before Christmas we could see Jim Goodwin renew his interest in Aberdeen’s attacker. It is not outwith the realms of possibility for Aberdeen to have a counter offer to try to lure St Mirren’s attacker north.
Will Mikey Devlin earn a new deal?
One man who seems likely to be staying at Pittodrie beyond this window is Mikey Devlin. The defender has endured a horrible time of it with one niggling injury setback after another.
But he accrued enough goodwill from his displays to convince Glass to offer him a short-term deal at the end of last season as the Dons boss wanted to see the former Hamilton captain in the flesh so he could make a judgement on him.
Devlin’s contract expires in January but with the central defender close to a return and Glass’ positive comments about the Scotland international at the club’s annual meeting in December, the indications are his deal will be extended so he can prove himself worthy of a longer term deal.
Does the midfield need trimmed?
One area of the team which could be done with being trimmed is the central midfield.
With captain Scott Brown, Lewis Ferguson, Funso Ojo, Teddy Jenks and Dean Campbell all options it does seem as if there is room for manoeuvre.
Matty Longstaff’s loan move from Newcastle was disappointing. The player who announced his arrival in English football with a spectacular goal against Manchester United has been nowhere to be seen since moving to Pittodrie in August.
He has fallen so far out of favour he cannot even make the bench for the Dons and a parting of the ways so he can have a fresh start on loan at another club suited all three parties.
The announcement of his return to the north-east of England from Glass on Boxing Days surprised no-one.
Teddy Jenks, however, is one player who has flourished in recent weeks.
An attacking, link-up player, Jenks has a couple of goals to his name following his move from Brighton and learned a huge lesson following his red card in the loss at St Mirren.
But he does offer something different to the team from Brown, Ferguson, Ojo and Campbell.
Ojo, of course, has been the surprise package for Glass – a player who to all intent and purposes looked to be heading out of the club after being allowed to join Wigan Athletic on loan in the January window last season.
Now in the final six months of his deal Glass is an admirer of the Belgian’s versatility but as yet no deal has been signed to keep at the club beyond the summer. So for that reason alone he must go on the list.
What about Ronald Hernandez?
You could add Calvin Ramsay and Lewis Ferguson – two players who have been attracting interest all season – to the list and don’t forget about the enigma that is Ronald Hernandez.
He arrived two years ago to great fanfare but has not settled, has hardly played, and has spent the last year on loan with Atlanta United.
His future, for sure, does not lie in Scotland but it should be noted January has not historically been a month of busy transfer activity in this country.
Hernandez seems the most likely departure given the comments at the Aberdeen annual meeting from club chairman Dave Cormack.
But overall, expect some tweaking of the squad rather than wholesale changes at Pittodrie.
Barring a substantial sale of a young talent such as Ramsay or Ferguson then do not be looking for a major overhaul.
That has been the Aberdeen way in recent years and it is likely to continue.