Sam Cosgrove’s £2million move from Aberdeen to Birmingham City is a move which suits all parties.
City get a big target man striker, Cosgrove gets a fresh start and the Dons make a tidy return on their £30,000 investment.
Am I sad to see the big man leave Pittodrie? Not really, no. By all accounts he’s a great lad but you are judged on your goals and this season he just hasn’t really got going at Aberdeen.
That’s why I think a new challenge somewhere else will help him. I’ve seen it so many times where a player has a fairytale season or in Cosgrove’s case, a fantastic calendar year in 2019, but cannot sustain it.
🔴 103 appearances
⚽ 47 goals📸 Take a look back at @samcozzee's time at Pittodrie ⤵️
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) January 31, 2021
I look at another former Don, Stevie May, and what he did at St Johnstone. He helped Saints win the Scottish Cup and was banging in the goals for fun and his form earned him a move to England where he couldn’t replicate what he did up here.
Serious injuries may have played a part in that of course, but the May who returned to Scotland with Aberdeen and who is now back at McDiarmid Park is not the same confident, consistent scorer who left Perth for Sheffield Wednesday in 2014.
Cosgrove will be looking to make more of an impact at Birmingham City and I wish him well. On his day he was one of the best strikers in Scotland in 2019, but sadly there haven’t been too many days where that fearless forward has been on the pitch for Aberdeen.
For Aberdeen, the profit made on Cosgrove represents an excellent return and I am sure there are pats on the back all round between Derek McInnes, the board and the scouting network at the club for a job well done.
While Cosgrove hasn’t hit the heights this season for the Dons his departure does leave the Dons weaker in the attacking areas.
With Cosgrove and loan signings Marley Watkins and Ryan Edmondson all back in England, and Curtis Main struggling to get a regular run of games due to niggling injuries so far this season, Bruce Anderson and Connor McLennan were the only attacking options on offer in Saturday’s goalless draw at Livingston.
Main was then allowed to leave the club before last night’s transfer deadline.
Derek will be pinning his hopes on the arrival of Fraser Hornby on loan from Stade de Reims to help. At 6ft 4in tall, the Scotland under-21 international is not going to be hard to spot when he is on the pitch.
I know he has done well for the under-21s, but I don’t know too much about Hornby other than he came through the ranks at Everton. But this much is clear – Aberdeen’s forward line needs to improve its goal return and here’s hoping Hornby, as well as Florian Kamberi and Callum Hendry, can help with that.
It has been one big man in, one big man out at Ross County too with Jordan White arriving at the club last week ahead of Ross Stewart’s departure for Sunderland on Sunday.
I know Aberdeen were big admirers of Ross and will be frustrated at having missed out on him, but I expect Ross will do well with the Black Cats.
Jordan, in contrast, has not had a great time of it at Motherwell and the former Caley Thistle man will be eager to get going again after returning to the Highlands with the Staggies.
Jordan will chip in with some goals, but he is not a player I regard as a prolific scorer. But he can be an excellent foil for the likes of Oli Shaw and Billy Mckay.
They are the two players who can put the ball away consistently if they get the service and I expect that will be what John Hughes is looking for Jordan to provide.
He’s a player with a point to prove after a disappointing spell at Fir Park and that might just work in Ross County’s favour.