Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin believes having a head of recruitment who understands how he works can only be a good thing for the club.
The Dons boss has reunited with his former assistant from Elfsborg, Nuno de Almeida, after the Portuguese was appointed new head of recruitment at the club.
De Almeida has been working with the Dons in a scouting role since June but has been promoted to the head of recruitment role following Chris Badlan’s departure from the club.
The Aberdeen manager is delighted to have the chance to work with the former Porto scout again.
Thelin said: “I think it was an open process and the head of recruitment applied for the job and he got the job.
“It can give us another market maybe but also a good understanding of what we’re searching for.
“He was with Elfsborg before going back to Portugal again and now our roads have crossed again.
“That’s football sometimes. It’s a big world but still a small world.
“That’s why it’s good sometimes to always take care of your relations as you never know when you’re going to cross again.
“He knows his target and his job, what he’s searching for.”
A smooth transition
The duo worked together in Sweden in 2019 when de Almeida served as Thelin’s assistant at Elfsborg.
De Almeida had been scouting Scandinavia for Porto when he accepted the chance to work with Thelin and the Aberdeen manager expects the transition to a new challenge with the Dons to be a smooth one.
The Dons boss said: “It was quite a short process.
“He was in Scandinavia anyway working for Porto and we talked about if he would be interested in trying another journey.
“He was a scout but also an assistant coach.
“For me, where he was at that point I think he had his knowledge but also connected with the players we already had to understand what we were searching for.
“It was a good situation that we worked there. It’s different now but in that place at that time it was a good choice.”
Thelin braced for a busy January window
With the transfer window opening on January 1, de Almeida is leading the search for potential new players.
Thelin remains coy on his plans but it is clear he expects the Dons to be active in the window.
The Aberdeen manager said: “Of course, we’re working on things.
“Not only for the injuries but also trying to progress as a team for the long term.
“Sometimes you have short-term problems but also you need to not forget what you want to build over time and try to find the right ones for the longer term also.”
Following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Dundee United at Tannadice the Dons have now gone eight games without a win.
Sivert Heltne-Nilsen will miss the visit of Ross County to Pittodrie on Thursday due to suspension but the Dons boss remains focused on getting his side back to winning ways.
Thelin said: “You always have to find a solution. Things happen in football. You don’t want it to happen.
“You don’t want injuries for your players. You don’t want suspensions. People get sick sometimes.
“Then you have to trust your players, find a solution and believe in that one for that game.”
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