Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has given an update on the Dons’ plan to appoint a technical director.
In March, a statement from the Premiership club revealed a “holistic review” of their football operation had been performed by the firm of German high performance guru Bernhard Peters – formerly a senior figure at Bundesliga sides Hamburg and Hoffenheim.
Peters’ consultancy BPTC found “a lot of very good policy, practice, and robust processes already in place within the club’s academy and wider football department”, according to Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows, but also “several key areas of opportunity”.
It was said BPTC would help the Dons make both “structural changes” to their football setup, as well as “implement new and additional policy, practices, and processes that will further strengthen all levels of player training and development, player pathway, scouting and recruitment and football performance”.
The statement also said the firm would help Aberdeen recruit a new permanent manager – with former Elfsborg boss Jimmy Thelin now in position at Pittodrie on a three-year deal – and a technical director to support existing Dons director of football Steven Gunn.
Chief Cormack recently spoke to The Press and Journal about the technical director recruitment process – in an interview which also covered striker Bojan Miovski’s future, Cormack’s relationship with Thelin, his role in transfers, and what success looks like for the Reds’ new Swedish boss early in his tenure.
Dons’ technical director timescale
Cormack says Aberdeen are still working with Peters’ company on the technical director role, with BPTC “engaged through the end of this year”, hinting it could be some time yet before someone takes the job.
Cormack said: “I think we’ve got to take baby steps to a degree.
“The guys who are fulfilling that role just now are the consultants we’re working with, BPTC – Bernhard Peters and his team.
“We’ve brought them in and they’re working on a number of work-streams which a technical director would do.
“It’s really important for us to get that position right, rather than rush it.”
Cormack added: “I don’t want us to be forced into, and Alan doesn’t want us to be forced into, (the mentality of) just: ‘Hey, we need somebody onboard in 30 days’.”
Bernhard Peters’ firm suggest ‘individual performance training’ focus for Aberdeen’s youth talents
Confirming BPTC praised large parts of Aberdeen’s football department, including their academy operation, Cormack is convinced, by continuing to work with Peters and Co. the Dons can make improvements.
An example given by the chairman was Peters’ firm’s suggestion to put greater emphasis on “individual performance training” for emerging academy talents in their mid to late-teens – something which could fall under the new technical director’s responsibilities and help bring more homegrown players into the first-team picture.
Cormack said: “Bernhard works with the German FA – with (Julian) Nagelsmann – and after the Scotland game (at Euro 2024) gave a technical debrief on stuff.
“What I wanted to find out was: ‘How come teams like Bodo Glimt and others are punching well above their weight and beating the likes of Celtic in the Champions League? How are they doing that? What are they doing that we’re not doing?’
“To anybody who wants to poo-poo bringing somebody in… they (BPTC) were able to give us a comparative analysis of all of these teams we might want to aspire to be like across Scandinavia, or Switzerland, or Austria.
“They were able to give us analysis of what we’re good at – and there’s a lot of stuff we’re doing really well with our youth academy.
“There were certain things which came up, and one thing in particular which stuck in my mind was this transition of a player from age 14 or 15 to 19.
“Within that period, it will typically define whether you are going to make it at the top level or first-team with a club like Aberdeen.
“We need to have resources on individual performance training with the guys coming through.”
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