It has been little more than a week since the transfer window closed and the search for a new manager is under way – but it is clear there is much work still to be done at Aberdeen.
The Dons are determined to take their time in finding Jim Goodwin’s permanent successor and the encouraging start from interim boss Barry Robson has brought the club some much needed time.
The process is being led by Aberdeen’s football monitoring board which comprises of chairman Dave Cormack, board members Stewart Milne, Willie Garner and director of football Steven Gunn is ongoing.
While it is unclear how far along things will be when new chief executive Alan Burrows joins the club from Motherwell on February 27, the noises coming from Pittodrie suggest it may take another few weeks before a new boss is installed.
With the last two managers failing to remain in post for a calendar year, it is understandable the club is treading carefully with the next appointment.
But with a third major overhaul of the squad inevitable this summer, it is in everyone’s interests for the search to be concluded as quickly as possible.
Long list of short-term deals expiring at Pittodrie
Dilan Markanday was the final arrival of a busy deadline day with the Blackburn Rovers attacker having the distinction of being the third and final new face on board – and the sixth newcomer overall – last month.
He was joined in making the move to Pittodrie by fellow loan arrivals Jay Gorter, Mattie Pollock, Patrick Myslovic and Graeme Shinnie, with Angus MacDonald, who agreed a short-term deal, the other addition.
The six players were needed for various reasons, but what they have in common is their time at Pittodrie is a sticky plaster rather than a permanent solution.
Axed boss Goodwin talked of his desire to make Shinnie’s return a permanent one if it was a success.
But with the manager gone and Shaun Maloney now in charge at Shinnie’s parent club Wigan Athletic, it is clear talks will be needed between the relevant parties if the next Aberdeen gaffer is keen on keeping Shinnie around.
Markanday, Pollock and Gorter will return to their own parent clubs in the summer and there’s a good chance the other Dons loanees Liam Scales, Hayden Coulson and Leighton Clarkson – who were signed in the summer – will do likewise.
Will Myslovic move become permanent?
That leaves the fate of Myslovic to be determined.
The Slovakia under-21 international arrived on January 6 from MSK Zilina, initially on loan, but the Dons have an option to make the move permanent in the summer.
Myslovic started the Scottish Cup loss at Darvel, while his two other appearances so far came from the bench at Hearts and Hibernian.
All three games are enough to bring Dons fans out in a cold sweat, so it’s fair to say Myslovic has work to do if his time with the Dons is to become a long-term one.
Fate of Dons’ first team players out on loan also to be determined
Sticking with the loan theme is the future for four players currently under contract to the Dons but plying their trade elsewhere.
Vicente Besuijen has been at Aberdeen all of a year, but it has been a testing time for the winger, who returned to the Netherlands on deadline day when he joined Excelsior Rotterdam.
The Dutch club have reached an agreement to make the move permanent if Besuijen impresses.
Anthony Stewart finds himself facing a similarly uncertain future. A summer signing from Wycombe Wanderers on a two-year deal, the central defender has gone from being named club captain to joining MK Dons on loan on January’s deadline day.
🗣 "I know Milton Keynes really well but, most importantly, I'm here to help win games"
Head over to iFollow MK Dons to watch Anthony Stewart's exclusive first interview since his move to Stadium MK 👇
— Milton Keynes Dons (@MKDonsFC) February 2, 2023
The only games he missed were through suspension in his time at Pittodrie, but his days with the Dons – the Scottish ones at least – look numbered.
There’s the small matter of Dean Campbell and Connor McLennan’s future to be resolved, too. Both are out on loan (at Stevenage and St Johnstone, respectively) and out of contract in the summer.
They are not the only ones.
Decisions to be made on out-of-contract players
MacDonald, who has impressed in his first week at the Dons, is out of contract in the summer, too, and he is not the only one at Pittodrie counting down the days to being a free agent again.
Jonny Hayes, Matty Kennedy and Marley Watkins are all free to talk to other parties as it stands as well.
That’s why the lack of a manager, with his own vision for the future and how any of these players may figure in his plans, needs to be addressed.
That’s 16 players in total whose futures are up in the air for those not keeping count.
Those with a glass half-full demeanour likely see the situation as an easy opportunity for the next Aberdeen manager to really reshape a squad which has struggled for consistency and finds itself mid-table and out of both cup competitions in January.
Those of a more pessimistic persuasion will see the situation as a sign of the size of the task which lies in wait for Goodwin’s successor.
Whatever your view, it is clear the sooner someone is in place to make these important decisions, the better – for the players, the club and the manager himself.
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