Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin can reignite the career of winger Jeppe Okkels, insists a Swedish football expert who watched him electrify Elfsborg.
Dons gaffer Thelin has reunited with Okkels, having previously managed him for three-and-a-half years at the Allsvenskan club.
Okkels is loan at Pittodrie from Championship club Preston North End until the end of the season.
And the Dons have an option to buy the 25-year-old left-sided wing-star if he impresses.
Okkels was sold by Elfsborg to Dutch club Utrecht for £700,000 in January 2024, before a £1.7 million switch to Preston last summer.
Football writer Joel Besseling reports on Elfsborg for the Goteborgs-Posten in Sweden.
He insists Okkels is a pacey winger who thrives under pressure and works tirelessly defensively.
Besseling says Okkels forged a loyal bond of trust with Thelin which will create an environment to rediscover his top form at Pittodrie.
Besseling said: “Okkels needs a rebound with his career, and he knows what Jimmy wants from him.
“They respect and like each other.
“Okkels is a player Jimmy really trusted during his years at Elfsborg and he knows he will get something from him at Aberdeen.
“A year ago, Aberdeen couldn’t have signed a player like Okkels.
“However, he didn’t get much gametime at Utrecht or Preston over the last 18 months.
“I think the Scottish Premiership can fit Okkels better than the Dutch league – but the English Championship should have fitted him better as well.
”It’s interesting that Jimmy has signed two of the players he trusted most at Elfsborg.
“Sivert Heltne Nilsen was his right-hand man at Eflsborg on the pitch, and now he has Okkels.”
Okkels was a hard-working replacement for a £9m winger
Thelin first signed Okkels in August 2020 when he brought him to Elfsborg from Danish club Silkeborg for a fee of €450,000 (£375,000).
Okkels had earlier spent time on trial at German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
The winger was signed by Thelin to replace Swedish international Jesper Karlsson, who had transferred to Dutch Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar.
Karlsson would later go on to secure an €11m (£9.15m) move to Italian top-flight Bologna.
During his time at Elfsborg, left-winger Okkels netted 29 goals in 118 matches.
He scored 11 goals and pitched in with seven assists in his final campaign in 2023 – when Elfsborg finished league runners-up.
Besseling said: “Okkels is not really a flashy winger – he’s a hard worker with a good sense of the game.
“During his time at Elfsborg Jimmy rotated quite a lot with the wingers, apart from Okkels. For a couple of years, he was the one who always played.
“One of the main reasons for that is that he is so loyal defensively and works so hard in that role.
“When they lost the ball, Okkels always ran back, and he is really good under pressure.
“Okkels is fast and played on the left in every game for Jimmy at Elfsborg.
“Jimmy had that 4-2-3-1 formation, and for most of the three-and-a-half years played Okkels on the left in the starting XI.
“He is a loyal, hard-working guy who can score a few goals and make some assists.
“Okkels came to Elfsborg as a replacement for Jesper Karlsson who they sold to Alkmaar.
“People were expecting a flashy player like Jesper, but he wasn’t.
“He was more of a hard worker who scored some goals.”
Surprise at Okkels’ Utrecht struggles
Okkels’ move to Utrecht began promisingly, but was derailed by a knee injury.
He made only five appearances as a substitute before being transferred to Preston North End.
Okkels made 10 appearances for Preston this season, with only three starts.
Besseling: “It was his turn to move overseas after years of loyal service to Elfsborg.
“I’m surprised he played so little at Utrecht as it seemed like a good move for him.
“Taking in Okkels is a good move by Aberdeen.
“He can go straight into Jimmy’s team – although he may need a couple of weeks to get match fit.”
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