Aberdeen’s audacious investment in Leighton Clarkson could be paid back in many multiples of the fee if the midfielder hits his potential.
The Dons completed the club’s biggest signing in decades in securing Clarkson on a four-year deal from Liverpool.
The transfer fee paid by Aberdeen to land the 21-year-old is officially “undisclosed” and subject to a strict confidentiality agreement between the two clubs.
However one certainty is the midfielder’s value will rocket into many multiples of what Aberdeen paid if he continues to develop and impress with the Dons.
Clarkson could go on to smash Aberdeen’s record transfer fee, which is the £4.5 million received up front from Liverpool last season for right-back Calvin Ramsay.
The Dons could ultimately pocket up to a further £3.5 million if Ramsay, who was recently sent on loan to Preston, meets certain targets at Anfield.
If Clarkson excels as hoped to propel the club to success, the midfielder could smash not just the £4.5 million up front, but that £8m mark, when he finally leaves Pittodrie.
That is how much potential a player recently described by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as “one of the biggest talents” at Liverpool has.
It is not just the act of signing Clarkson that is impressive, it is also the length of the deal in securing him until 2027.
If Clarkson lights up Europe and Scotland for the next two seasons, the Reds will still have the safety net of another two years on the deal to make a multi-million-pound profit.
However, Aberdeen fans will be hoping to see Clarkson’s skills on show for the entirety of his Pittodrie contract.
He is at the Dons primarily to lead the charge for silverware.
To illustrate the enormity of the transfer coup, Clarkson finished joint 10th for assists by midfielders aged 21 or under in all the leagues in world football last season.
That is according to football stat website transfermarkt.co.uk
Clarkson pitched in with eight assists, the majority in the second half of the season under manager Barry Robson.
The midfielder is a game-changer, a player who can secure a win by conjuring up a moment of magic to score or create a goal.
That is why Aberdeen pushed so hard to secure his permanent return to Pittodrie.
Players with those qualities are hard to find and even harder to sign.
This is why if you have one that has a connection and affinity to the club after a loan spell, you have to strike while the iron is hot.
In pushing through the marquee signing Aberdeen beat off competition from clubs in the English Championship, including Coventry, and also League One Reading.
Landing a player of Clarkson’s calibre from a club like Liverpool on a four-year deal is not a transfer Aberdeen could have made a few years ago.
There has been a sea-change in Aberdeen’s outlook and pulling power in the transfer market.
🚀 🤯
WHAT. A. GOAL
👏🏽 Leighton Clarkson.#StandFree | #cinchPrem pic.twitter.com/4mz4FIP3bL
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) August 7, 2022
That has obviously been bolstered by landing a cash bonanza of more than £5 million from qualifying for the group stages of European football.
However, Clarkson signing for Aberdeen is about more about money.
It was about the midfielder recognising the ambition of the club and the manager.
Sokler must show hunger for start
New Aberdeen signing Ester Sokler must be determined to push Duk and Bojan Miovski for a starting slot next season.
The NK Radomlje striker has spent his career in Slovenia so he will be an unknown quantity for the vast majority of Aberdeen supporters.
Aberdeen’s attacking partnership of Duk and Miovski scored 18 goals each last season.
However, Sokler cannot be content with being a back-up to come in if Duk or Miovski are injured, suspended or suffer a drop in form.
Sokler must show during the pre-season and beyond that he has the drive and determination try to oust Duk or Miovski from the starting line-up.
Teams need that competitive edge in every position.
Signings should arrive at Pittodrie hungry and fired up to make their mark in the starting line-up.
Sokler scored nine goals with three assists in the final 12 games of the PrvaLiga campaign with NK Radomlje.
That is a decent goal return and, at 24, he is a good age where Aberdeen could develop the striker to improve further.
There is a sea of talent across Europe that can be tapped into.
Aberdeen proved that last summer when signing Miovski and Ylber Ramadani from Hungarian club MTK Budapest.
The Dons also secured Duk from Benfica after he starred for their B team and U23s.
Duk, Miovski and Ramadani have been superb signings.
The hope for Aberdeen will be that scouting overseas for talent will pay off again this summer.
Duk set for the Africa Cup of Nations
Aberdeen goal hero Duk is set to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations in January next year.
And Aberdeen boss Barry Robson could be set for a selection headache.
Duk helped Cape Verde qualify for the AFCON finals when introduced at half-time in Sunday’s 3-1 qualifying win over Burkina Faso.
The AFCON finals are set to be held in the Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11 next year.
The Premiership goes into a two-week winter shutdown on January 2, returning on January 19.
But if, as expected, Duk is named in the Cape Verde squad for the tournament, he would still potentially miss up to three weeks of Aberdeen action.
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