Interim boss Peter Leven will do all he can to help new manager Jimmy Thelin begin his Aberdeen career with a bang.
Elfsborg boss Thelin has agreed a three-year contract to lead the Dons and will arrive at Pittodrie on June 3.
Thelin, 46, will remain at Elfsborg until the Swedish Allsvenskan enters a summer break.
First team coach Leven understands the upheaval of moving overseas to manage.
Leven was assistant at Dynamo Brest who won the 2019 top flight title and two Super Cups in Belarus.
He then won promotion to the Russian top flight with FC Orenburg in 2021.
Leven understands settling off the pitch is pivotal to delivering success on it.
And he is ready to help Thelin thrive in both aspects.
He said: “I’ve been where Jimmy will be, in terms of travelling for work.
“Finding schools, all that stuff, we’ve got great staff here that will help him.
“I’ve been there so I can help him as well.
“Going abroad, it can be difficult at times.
“I’ve done it for years and hopefully it’ll be an easy transition for him.”
In regular contact with Thelin
Leven is in regular contact with Thelin who watched coverage of the Scottish Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out loss to Celtic.
Thelin was able to watch the semi-final from his Swedish home as Elfsborg had no game at the weekend.
Elfsborg faced Kalmar FF at home in the Swedish top flight on Monday evening, losing 2-1.
Thelin will be joined at Pittodrie by his Elfsborg assistants Christer Persson and Emir Bajrami.
Leven will be part of Thelin’s back-room staff next season and beyond as assistant first-team coach.
He said: “It’s good Jimmy is coming with Christer and Emir.
“They’ll help him and I’m sure he’ll settle fast.
“I’m happy to be part of things next season.
“It’ll be Jimmy and then the three of us will work together.
“He likes a lot of coaches on the pitch.
“We’ll be in regular contact around that.
“I’m sure he’s going to watch all the games and keep an eye on training.”
Sacrifices made to manage overseas
Leven knows the sacrifices required to manage – and continues to make them.
The 40-year-old has retained his home base in Newcastle which means extended spells away from his wife and daughter.
He said: “My family’s in Newcastle.
“It’s better than Russia, so I get to see them more than when I lived abroad for four years.
“They come up to the Edinburgh games and the Glasgow games, and they were up at the Dundee game.
“It can be difficult at times.
“But when I’m up here I’m fully focused on the club and the training.”
Moving out of ‘comfort zone’
Thelin will manage overseas for the first time when arriving at Aberdeen as his career so far has been in Sweden.
He began his managerial journey in 2014 with Jönköpings Södra IF.
In his debut season Thelin led the club to their highest league finish for almost four decades.
The following season Jönköpings Södra IF won the Superettan title under Thelin to secure top-flight action for the first time since 1969.
At Elfsborg he delivered two Swedish top-flight runners-up finishes.
Elfsborg lost out on the Allsvenskan title last season on goal difference to Malmo.
Leven can understand the motivation for taking up the challenge of managing in a new country.
He said: “That’s why I went abroad, I wanted to take myself out of the comfort zone.
“That’s me as a person and a coach.
“I want to learn and take myself out of the comfort zone and challenge myself.
“This has been a challenge but I’m enjoying it.”
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