New signing Alexander Jensen has revealed former Aberdeen defender Stefan Gartenmann played a role in his decision to move to the Dons.
Full-back Jensen was secured from Swedish Allsvenskan club Brommapojkarna earlier this week for a fee understood to be £545,000 (€650,000).
That deal could rise to £839,000 (€1million) with add-ons, if certain milestones are met.
The 23-year-old penned a four-year deal with the Dons.
Jensen says he was told the Dons made his signing a priority and feeling so wanted by boss Jimmy Thelin was key.
However, advice from former Aberdeen centre-back Gartenmann further strengthened his desire to sign for the Reds.
Gartenmann previously played at FC Midtjylland with Jensen’s good friend Nikolas Dyhr, now of Danish top flight club Randers.
Defender Gartenmann spent last season on loan at Aberdeen from FC Midtjylland and made 45 appearances.
The 27-year-old is now at Hungarian club Ferencváros.
Jensen said: “I really felt that the club wanted me and that I was a priority to them.
“That’s why it felt good for me to come here.
“I actually spoke to my friend Nikolas Dyhr who plays for Randers.
“I asked him if Stefan could tell me something about Aberdeen.
“He spoke very well about the club.
“Sometimes when you come from abroad you maybe don’t know the size of the club because you are not so well informed about Scotland.
“However Stefan told me that it was a very big club and a bigger club than you think.
“I’ve already felt that.
“The time was great to make a move and I wanted to go outside Sweden.
“Aberdeen was the perfect choice for me.
“Coming here is like a dream come true.”
The race to secure a work permit
Versatile Jensen can play either full-back position and also in midfield.
He began his career at FC Midtjylland in Denmark where he also played for FC Fredericia before a 2023 switch to Sweden with Brommapojkarna.
In a frantic few days he signed on Monday, had his work permit cleared on Tuesday and came off the bench on Wednesday for a debut in the 3-0 loss at Rangers.
He said: “It was quite a busy race, signing Monday and getting the visa on Tuesday.
“I was there on Tuesday morning before training and they said we’ve got 24 hours.
“So it was good that it came through!
“It was quite busy and I’m just happy to help the team and play.
“I had a feeling when I came on that there was maybe something we could get from the game.
“But of course we lost those two goals and it was disappointing.”
Debut at Ibrox in loss to Rangers
Jensen was introduced in the second half at Ibrox and made a strong debut.
His performance was one of the few positives to take from a loss that extended the Dons winless run to 12 games.
Jensen said: “It was good to come in there and feel the atmosphere and the intensity of the football compared to Sweden.
“It’s maybe a bit faster so it was good to try that.
“There are actually some quite big stadiums in Sweden but I think it’s up there with the biggest I have played in.”
Jensen targeting silverware success
Jensen is in contention to make his first Aberdeen start in the Scottish Cup fourth round tie at Elgin City on Saturday.
He says securing silverware with Aberdeen is one of his main targets.
And he reckons a win against League Two Elgin could be the catalyst to kick-start the Dons’ form after a damaging winless slump.
He said: “It would mean everything to me to win a trophy with Aberdeen.
“I have never won a trophy before.
“So it’s something that I’m also striving after.
“I think the cup competition here would be a perfect chance to do that.
“It will be a good experience at Elgin.
“I know that the cup is very important to the club to go as far as we can as it’s a good chance to win a trophy.
“It’s also a good opportunity to get that winning feeling again inside the club.”
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