Jimmy Thelin has insisted Aberdeen won’t be caught cold if anyone comes in for Bojan Miovski or any of their other top stars.
The Dons top scorer has been linked with a number of top European clubs, like Bologna and Feyenoord, after his 26 goal haul last season. Thelin is well aware that in the transfer window, things can quickly develop and he is prepared for every scenario. The new manager said: “We are always try to be proactive.
“Players can come in and out. The market is the market. You can’t control that. You can have good ideas or talks with people and it is important to have a plan because there is a pride in playing for Aberdeen. I always try to work windows ahead, but I have just arrived and I need to start to connect with everyone, how we want to look in the future but also to perform right now.
“It is important to plan. It is better to be proactive than stressed. It is better to have a plan. If players are going to move then what can you do? “t is important that the staff and coaches are all on the same page so we know what we want from our wingers, midfielders and centre backs, the balance and then we try to work on things.”
Thelin earned himself a reputation for developing talent and selling it on at Elfsborg. He sold Hakon Valdimarsson to Brentford and Gustaf Lagerbielke to Celtic. Defender Lagerbielke has struggled to make an impact but his former boss knows that at the Scottish champions that Brendan Rodgers has real strength and depth.
Thelin admitted: “I don’t know exactly the quality of other players (at Celtic). Brendan has his ideas and what he believes in and we should go with that.
“I can’t judge anything else about that. It is impossible for me to sit outside and say anything about it. Gustaf is a good guy and has qualities but there is always competition inside a team also.”
Thelin gave his squad a rare day off from training yesterday (Thurs). The Swede and his backroom team have been working overtime in a bid to get his ideas and philosophies across to the players. It will see a big tactical change in Aberdeen’s play. Thelin knows it is very much a work in progress.
In the first instance it is about getting the basics right, ahead of their Premier Sports Cup opener against Queen of the South. He conceded: “It is a really short time but it is what is. We have to adapt and put our priorities in the right order. We can’t do everything right away.
“Even if we wanted to change everything very quickly you can’t do it. You need to start with the biggest patterns in the team.
“What we look like when we are playing, get some habits and get some understanding into the team. How we attack and how we defend. We need to look at the big picture.
“We can’t go too much into the detail and give the players too much information too quickly. We have to secure some parts and put them on repeat. We have to grow the whole season. It is impossible to be ready and perfect for the first game.
“We need to evaluate every session. You need to have a plan. We might need to go back to things but we will continue to do things step by step.”