Aberdeen’s expected transfer capture of FK Novi Pazar centre-back Slobodan Rubezic is being stalled by Home Office red tape – with the towering Serbian’s former head coach saying he is “ripe” for a move to Scotland.
The Press and Journal exclusively revealed last Tuesday the Dons are confident they have fought off several European rivals to land the 6ft 4in defender from the Serbian SuperLiga club, and will pay a significant six-figure fee upfront for the 23-year-old.
Aberdeen remain assured the right-footed stopper will be their player next season.
However, Rubezic has stayed put in his homeland and continued to train with Novi Pazar while he and the Reds await Home Office visa clearance.
This is required for the centre-back to travel to the UK for a medical and the other necessary steps to progress his summer switch.
It is unclear how long the Home Office green light will take, but Aberdeen have recent experience of weeks-long waits for visas affecting their recruitment from Balkan countries.
Last summer, having completed their medicals and penned Dons deals before stepping foot in the UK, Albanian midfielder Ylber Ramadani and then North Macedonian striker Bojan Miovski – both bought from Hungary’s MTK Budapest – were left in limbo for extended periods due to visa delays.
Both ended up being forced to wait weeks before they could link up with their new team-mates in Scotland and get their Aberdeen careers under way.
Former manager Stankovic outlines Aberdeen target Rubezic’s ‘phenomenal’ character
Meanwhile, former Novi Pazar boss Aleksandar Stankovic has told the P&J he thinks Rubezic is “ripe” for a move to Scottish football.
Stankovic took over at Novi Pazar in mid-December last year, and had the team sixth in the Serbian top-flight – their eventual finishing position – before parting ways with the club in mid-March.
Rubezic played the entirety of the eight league matches Stankovic oversaw – and his ex-gaffer is therefore well-placed to give an assessment of the player.
“I think he is the right player for Aberdeen and the style of play Scotland is known for,” Stankovic said. “He is ripe for a step forward in his career, will cope well with the demands of the new club and be a reinforcement for Aberdeen.”
Stankovic was quick to highlight Rubezic’s “phenomenal” character and maturity, despite his relatively young age, adding: “Above all, he has the character of a winner. It is extremely strong and durable.
“He has a clear ambition, and is a player with attitude in the locker room.
“He’s extremely dedicated and professional on the field and in every training session.
“He has a winner’s instinct.”
In terms of Rubezic’s physical and footballing abilities, Stankovic described the former FK Vojvodina and FK Cukaricki youth player as strong in both tackling and in aerial battles, due to his stature and jumping ability.
During Stankovic’s Novi Pazar tenure, according to his former head coach, Rubezic put in his best performances as the right central defender in a back four.
However, in what was a break-out campaign for Rubezic, he also lined up in the central role in a back three – the shape preferred by Aberdeen boss Barry Robson.
Stankovic said: “He kept the spaces behind the team-mates next to him well.”
Asked to pinpoint the areas for improvement in Rubezic’s game, Stankovic – who bossed FK Bezanija and FK Metalac in the Serbian second-tier, as well as FK Radnicki Nis in the top-flight before his spell in charge at Novi Pazar, added: “I will tell you what I also told him when I was in Novi Pazar.
“These are the details he has to work on every day – he has to keep his focus all the time during the games, to remain concentrated and calm in certain moments of the game. To implement only those things that the coaches ask of him and he will always be at a good level.”