Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack revealed manager Jimmy Thelin has “high expectations” of strikers Ester Sokler and Peter Ambrose – but the Dons will only sell star man Bojan Miovski this summer if they get “absolutely the right price”.
US-based Cormack was recognised with an honorary doctorate of business administration by Robert Gordon University (RGU) at P&J Live on Friday.
Speaking to The Press and Journal at the event, Cormack said there have still been no bids for 25-year-old North Macedonia international Miovski – who netted 26 times last season – despite him being linked to a move away from Pittodrie which would be sure to net Aberdeen multi-millions.
Cormack said: “We haven’t had any bids in for Bojan.
“He’s a great lad, he loves it in Aberdeen.
“All things being equal, if the right offer comes in that’s right for Aberdeen, and right for the player, that’s our model.”
Cormack says recently-appointed boss Thelin thinks highly of Sokler, one of Miovski’s attacking understudies last term, and Ambrose, signed from Hungarian outfit Ujpest during the window.
However, he also says Aberdeen’s hand will not be forced over the future of Miovski, who is contracted until 2026.
Cormack added: “Jimmy has high expectations with Ester and obviously with Peter as well – but we’re not forced to sell or have to sell Bojan this summer.
“It would have to be absolutely the right price.”
Chairman Cormack trying to be hands-off at Aberdeen but will meet Thelin next week
Cormack insists he is trying to be less involved in the day-to-day running of Aberdeen now, and is keen “everything goes through” chief executive Alan Burrows.
He does intend to catch up with Swedish boss Thelin in person following Wednesday’s opening pre-season friendly against Peterhead.
Thelin is two weeks into pre-season with his new squad after his arrival from Allsvenskan outfit Elfsborg.
Cormack said: “I’m trying to… back off is the wrong word… but Alan’s the chief executive and everything needs to really needs to go through him.
“My wife Fiona and I are going to the Isle of Skye on Saturday for four nights and five days, for a holiday.
“I’ll see Jimmy probably after the Peterhead friendly. I’m going to go up to that and probably down to Queen of the South (for the Premier Sports Cup group stage opener), and then we’re going home (to the US).
“I’ll try to catch up with Jimmy – but I probably talk to Jimmy once a week.
“He deals every day with Alan and (director of football) Steven Gunn on all of the transfer stuff.”
Cormack: I’ve NEVER signed a player for Aberdeen and Jimmy makes final call on transfers
Cormack underlined all incoming transfers will be approved by Thelin, with several candidates matching the gaffer’s requirements provided by Gunn and the recruitment team.
The chairman thinks his own involvement in Aberdeen’s transfer dealings in recent windows has been misrepresented, saying: “I don’t know where all this stuff started out from – I’ve never signed a player for Aberdeen Football Club.
“I’ve been asked to pay for a lot of players!
“Every manager I’ve worked with as a director, vice-chairman and chairman, from Derek McInnes all the way through, the manager has made the final decision on every player – bar none.
“I typically talk to the manager twice a week, normally before a game – maybe a Friday – for a ‘how’s the week gone?’, just to encourage them and wish them all the best for the game at the weekend, then maybe a day or two days after the game for just a catch-up and chat – again, really only to encourage.
“The manager, at the end of the day, even though we’ve got this model in place, will have the final say on players coming in.
“It’s incumbent on Steven Gunn, the recruitment team, to come up with three, four, five or six players who fit the profile, and start going through those with the coach, and then letting the coach make the final decision.”
‘Jimmy will need two or three windows’
Observers of Thelin’s work at Elfsborg, which saw him lead the club to two runners-up finishes in the Swedish top-flight during his tenure, have reflected it took 18 months to two years before the manager’s efforts began to produce success on the pitch.
Asked what success looks like for Thelin in his first one or two seasons at Aberdeen, Cormack said: “From our perspective, I think Jimmy is going to need two or three windows to put into place what he wants to put in place.
“We aspire to play in Europe each year.
“We hope Jimmy is here for a long, long time, and he’s got the track record over the last eight years with two clubs – the last six with Elfsborg – of building. He’s a builder.
“He’s also somebody who believes in youth getting an opportunity. When he was still at Elfsborg, he was instrumental in wanting to let Fletcher Boyd know that he wanted him part of the squad, which was a key part of Fletcher signing a three-year contract with us.”
Cormack thanks RGU for ‘very kind’ doctorate honour
Garthdee-raised Cormack said he was “surprised” to receive the honorary degree from RGU – despite his remarkable career in software.
He added: “Steve Olivier, the vice-chancellor, called me and said they wanted to bestow it on me and I thought it was very kind of them.
“It’s funny, because my eldest daughter, Sarah, has a PHD – a ‘real PHD’ as she calls it – she’s a political economist in the States, but it’s just a nice recognition for the family, and I appreciate it.
“Fiona graduated in 1981 and we got married in 1982, and my sister-in-law and two nephews graduated from RGU as well.”
Cormack founded and ran several successful software firms – London-based Soft Systems, and Miracle Workers and Brightree in the US, generating more than $1 billion in shareholder value.
In 2018, the businessman, who primarily lives in Atlanta, Georgia, became chairman of Curve Dental Software and helped grow the company substantially since its formation.
Former interim Dons chief executive Cormack stepped up from vice-chairman to take over from Stewart Milne as Pittodrie chairman in 2019, with the Cormack family having contributed significantly to funding the training ground which bears their name, Cormack Park, at Kingsford.
Meanwhile, the Cormack Family Foundation is focused on helping young people in the Granite City and abroad, and has generously supported several charities including the Aberdeen FC Community Trust, Clan Cancer Support and Maggie’s Centre.
In 2020, the foundation donated £100,000 to RGU to establish the Cormack Family Scholarship Programme focusing on widening access to higher education.
Conversation