Jimmy Thelin on Aberdeen loan signing strategy in January window

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin won’t rule out raiding the loan market in a bid to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window.

The Dons are in the midst of a six-game winless run and have failed to register a clean sheet in their previous nine matches.

Aberdeen’s board have confirmed they will give Thelin backing during the transfer window to bolster his squad.

Thelin has been working hard with new head of recruitment Nuno de Almeida on sourcing signing targets for the window which opens on January 1.

De Almeida had been utilised as an international scout for Aberdeen since arriving with Thelin and his backroom staff in June.

Aberdeen only currently have one loan signing, Scotland international striker Kevin Nisbet from English Championship side Millwall.

Asked if he could move for loan signings in January, Thelin said: “We always have an eye there.

“And if we feel in some areas we want to strengthen, it can happen inside the team.

“I think we have these short and long-term goals with the team.

“We have to be calm and keep a steady direction on what we want to achieve and what we need.

“However, also try to do the right signings for the long term – not only in reaction to the short term right now.

“Then we try to build a strong team for the future also and that’s the main target.

“However, let’s see in this window.

“You never know exactly what’s going to happen in both directions actually, so you have to try to plan and build a stronger team.”

Thelin retains faith in future vision

Aberdeen will attempt to halt a damaging winless run when facing Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Boxing Day.

The squad will travel to Kilmarnock on Christmas Day and stay overnight ahead of the Premiership clash.

Aberdeen’s drop in form is in stark contrast to the sensational 16-game unbeaten start to the season under Thelin in all competitions.

Thelin insists his vision for the club has not been dented by the slump in form.

He said: “We have some principles inside the team – what we have to do when the opponents do this and that.

“We can’t drop this part, even if sometimes as a player you can get stressed about a game or some parts of the season.

“Instead, we just do the basics again and again and again.

“And then sometimes you have that day that the ball goes in.

“We have to be stable during the season.

“Maybe you can get a bad day, you can get one point instead of zero, and a good day, you win the game.

“So that’s a thing we are still working on, to be more consistent.

“We make small improvements all the time.

“When you want to build a long-term success sometimes you can get this feeling when we start so well and then you get some resistance.

“So you have to be something in between and then try to be better in the future.

“And the best way to do that is to go out today on the training pitch, prepare for the game and try to improve.”

Focus on ending losing slump

Aberdeen will face Kilmarnock on an artificial pitch on Boxing Day, the only synthetic surface in the Scottish top-flight.

In May this year, Premiership clubs voted in favour of banning the use of artificial pitches in the top-flight from 2026-27.

Thelin said: “We’re going to travel on Christmas Day and have a good journey together and prepare for an exciting game.

“We will give everything we can for our supporters and each other.

“Football is about challenges.

“You have away games, home games, different opponents and some play in some ways.

“But you have to go in with our belief in what we are doing and don’t find excuses about the pitch or anything else.

“If it’s away or home, you have to give everything and that’s what you can do.

“We have a strong belief we can get a good result there.”

Nicky Devlin fit to face Kilmarnock

Aberdeen are set to welcome back keeper Dimitar Mitov for the trip to Kilmarnock.

Bulgarian international Mitov has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury suffered on December 1.

The initial prognosis was Mitov would be out for up to six weeks.

Scotland international right-back Nicky Devlin is also fit to face Kilmarnock.

Devlin looked to have picked up an injury when substituted off in the 77th minute against Hibs.

Thelin said: “Nicky was in training.”