Aberdeen transfer target Or Dadia’s experience of European action will be vital if the Israel defender is secured on a loan deal.
The Dons have made a move to secure the 26-year-old right-sided defender on a season-long loan from Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
It is understood Israeli top-flight club Be’er Sheva would want an option-to-buy clause inserted into any loan deal.
Aberdeen are still hopeful of pushing through a loan for Dadia, while they are closing in on a deal to sign Serbian centre-back Slobodan Rubezic.
The Dons look set to win the race to land the 23-year-old from Serbian SuperLiga side FK Novi Pazar for a significant six-figure transfer fee.
Aberdeen boss Robson would add real strength and depth to his defence with the capture of Dadia and Rubezic.
Capped once by Israel, defender Dadia has two years remaining on his contact with Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Aberdeen are set to compete in the group stage in Europe for the first time since the Uefa Cup in the 2007-08 season.
The Dons kick-off their continental campaign with the Europa League play-offs on Thursday, August 24.
Aberdeen will discover their play-off opponents when the draw is made at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Monday, August 7.
Dadia would bring a wealth of European experience to the Dons if the loan deal can be pushed through.
He has racked up 20 appearances in Europe and featured in the group stages of both the Europa League and Conference League.
Experience like that will be worth its weight in gold to the Dons as they compete in the group stages for the first time in 16 years.
If Dadia moves to the Dons, the defender will know exactly what to expect with the many facets of Euro competition.
And he can project that knowledge and experience on to Aberdeen’s other players – with many of them Euro rookies.
Dadia was a key player for Be’er Sheva in the group stages of the Europa League in the 2020-21 season.
He started five of six games in group C and came up against Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) and Nice (France).
In the group games Dadia started, Be’er Sheva lost on both occasions to Bayer Leverkusen (4-1, 4-2), and beat Slavia Prague 3-1. They lost twice to Nice (3-1 and 1-0).
Dadia started every game as the Israeli club progressed from the first qualifying round to reach the group stages.
They beat Dinamo Batumi (Georgia 3-0), KF Laci (Albania, 2-1) and Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic, 1-0) on theor run to the groups.
During that march to the Europa League groups, Be’er Shiva also knocked out Premiership Motherwell 3-0 in the third qualifying round.
A right-back who can also play centre-back and defensive midfield, Dadia played in the Conference League group stages last season.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva qualified for the groups by progressing past Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, 3-1), Lugano (Switzerland 5-1) and CS Universitatea Craiova (Romania, penalties after 2-2 draw).
Dadia started the opening three matches of the group only to then be ruled out by a hamstring injury.
He played in 0-0 draws against both Austria Vienna (Austria) and Lech Poznan (Poland), and a 2-1 loss to Villareal (Spain0.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva failed to progress from group C, finishing third, two points behind runners-up Lech Poznan.
Aberdeen boss Robson has already landed a defender with European experience by securing Rhys Williams on loan from Liverpool.
The 22-year-old centre-back played in six Champions League group stage matches for the Anfield club in the 2020-21 campaign.
During that season, Williams featured in all of Liverpool’s Champions League group-stage fixtures against Ajax, Midtjylland and Atalanta.
To have defenders with European experience will be vital when the Dons kick-off their continental campaign.
It will be entering the unknown for many Dons.
But Williams, and Dadia if he is signed on loan, will bring that calmness at the back, borne from experience, which will spread throughout the team.
Ramsay can reignite career with loan
Former Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay is facing a race against time to be fit to face the Dons on Saturday.
The 19-year-old is recovering from a knee injury suffered in February which wiped out the rest of his season at Liverpool.
Ramsay is back in training and admits he is close to returning to action – although an emotional reunion with home city club Aberdeen could come too soon.
The Dons play Preston North End in a friendly at Deepdale on Saturday as their pre-season preparations ramp up.
Ramsay has joined Championship Preston on a season-long loan from Liverpool and it offers an opportunity to get regular game time.
Following his club record move to Anfield from Aberdeen last summer, Ramsay has been dogged by injury setbacks.
He was ruled out of the first few months at the Premier League giants due to a back injury.
Having returned to fitness, the teen made a dream Liverpool debut as a substitute in the Champions League against Napoli.
He also featured for all 120 minutes of Liverpool’s League Cup penalty shoot-out defeat of Derby County.
A debut Scotland cap also came when appearing off the bench in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Turkey in November.
Then injury misfortune struck again with the knee injury.
Ramsay signed on at Liverpool until 2027, so still has four years left on his contract.
A successful season at Preston will hopefully ensure he is ready to return to Liverpool and make an impact with Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The injury setbacks last season will hopefully be a minor bump in the road to success with the Anfield club for the teen.
Talented teens impress in pre-season
Aberdeen teenagers Alfie Bavidge and Findlay Marshall both impressed in the pre-season friendlies against Turriff United and Fraserburgh.
Midfielder Marshall, 17, netted the opener in the 9-0 defeat of Turriff and also set up Leighton Clarkson to score.
A prolific striker at under-18 level last season, Bavidge, 17, scored the opener in the 2-0 win at Fraserburgh.
Both players look to have bright futures at Aberdeen and are proof the youth system continues to produce exciting talent.