Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin insists new signings won’t block the path for the club’s rising youth stars.
Swede Thelin has already secured three signings in the summer transfer window.
Keeper Dimitar Mitov (St Johnstone), striker Peter Ambrose (Újpest) and defender Gavin Molloy (Shelbourne) were all snapped up on long-term contracts.
Thelin aims to add more signings before the window closes on August 30 as he reshapes a squad that finished in the Premiership bottom six last season.
However raiding the transfer market will not be to the detriment of talent emerging through the youth system into the first team set-up.
Thelin made tying down teen sensation Fletcher Boyd’s long-term future to the club one of his main priorities when arriving as Dons boss.
The 16-year-old became the club’s youngest ever scorer when netting in a 4-0 win at Hibs last month.
Thelin recently secured Boyd on a long-term contract until summer 2027.
Aberdeen this week signed nine teen stars from their under-16 league and cup double-winning side on their first professional contracts.
The majority of the under-16 double-winning side were also part of the under-18 team who secured league title glory last season.
Signing their first pro contracts at Pittodrie are Connor Douglas (keeper), Lewis Carrol (defender), Oliver Riches (defender), Dylan Ross (left-back/midfield) and Zak To (midfield).
Also penning contracts are Jack Searle (forward), Cooper Masson (midfield), Joseph Teasdale (forward) and Tristan Stephen (forward).
Thelin said: “It is crucial to keep growing, rebuilding and attracting new players here to see that they can take a journey.
“That is important for every club nowadays.
“Aberdeen have already started as they have already sold some players.
“That is also one way I like this job, how they (the Aberdeen board) think about this.
“But hopefully we can get some young players from here, develop them first of all and then they achieve something with us.
“They give something here and then move on.
“And they really feel that they want to play here.”
Miovski to join Thelin in Portugal
Aberdeen are set to fly out to Portugal next week for a warm weather training camp.
Thelin started working with the squad when they arrived back from their summer break at the start of this week.
Star striker Bojan Miovski did not return with the rest of the squad as he was granted an extra week on his summer break due to international duty.
North Macedonian international Miovski was involved in friendlies against Croatia and Czechia earlier this month.
The 25-year-old, who scored 26 times last season, will join the Dons squad in Portugal.
Creating a culture within Aberdeen
After a first week working with the squad Thelin will ramp up the pre-season preparations in the 27 degree heat in the Algarve.
He aims to quickly create an identity for his Aberdeen team, with the early foundations laid in Portugal.
Thelin said: “From day one I want to create a base of the culture we want in the team.
“What training sessions, how we want to play so that you can recognise the team every week, it is consistent.
“From there you have to improve all the time.
“Me and my staff will put the standards of how we train and play, the base.
“And then we want to improve the team on how we play together, the collective way.”
Thelin aims to make ‘players grow’
Thelin is ready to put faith in the young talent at Pittodrie and hopes to provide an environment where they can maximize their potential.
Aberdeen under-16s have now won back-to-back league titles.
He said: “Hopefully we can make some individual players grow.
“I think you see a step by step progress to be better as a team.
“The future, we don’t know about that, but I can promise hard work.”
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