Aberdeen will back manager Jimmy Thelin’s summer recruitment drive.

Dons CEO Alan Burrows maintains the board is dedicated to building on Scottish Cup success. Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been assured that he will be supported this summer in his efforts to build a squad that can compete both in Europe and domestically. The Dons will have guaranteed European group stage football next season following their Scottish Cup win against Celtic on May 24. Cup success means that Dons fans will be checking their passports for regular visits in the first half of next season for the second time in three years.

Former Dons coach Barry Robson believes Aberdeen’s last Conference League campaign in 2023 harmed his side’s domestic results, while Hearts also struggled this season with juggling European and domestic responsibilities. Dons chief executive Alan Burrows feels lessons have been learned by his club and says Aberdeen will be better ready on their return to Europe next season.

He stated, “We’ve got European group-stage football to work on now. “Look at Aberdeen last year and Hearts this year; one of the drawbacks of European group-stage football is that it may disrupt your domestic season. “You need to be ready for that: mentally, physically and having some depth. “(Chairman) Dave (Cormack) has stated that we will seek to support Jimmy. “I believe most Aberdeen fans would agree that Jimmy has already received significant support from the club. “We attempted to support him in year one, and we spent some money.

“Hopefully days like the final and playing in group-stage European football will allow us to keep doing that, given there’s going to be a real increase in the volume of matches in the first half of the season.”

Dons an attractive proposition for players

Pittodrie has already begun its recruitment drive. Nicolas Milanovic, the Australian A League player of the year, will join the Dons in pre-season, along with Cove Rangers custodian Nick Suman. Talks with other targets are also at an advanced level and Burrows believes the attractiveness of European football, and a longer summer break after winning the cup, can only aid the club in their quest to strengthen the squad. He stated, “We’ve got another couple just about in the tank. We have quite a bit of work to do.

“There’s no secret that there are guys out of contract, we’ve got loans, and the nature of a player trading model is that players will leave and come in. “One of the advantages of winning the cup is that elongates pre-season. “If there are going to be changes, Jimmy should have more time to work with that group. “The effort has been underway for weeks and months, and we hope to see some results soon. “Anyone who was humming and hawing over it, the fact you have the carrot of European group-phase football might nudge some over the line or attract someone into the reckoning.”

In terms of the potential of any of the Dons’ loan players — Kevin Nisbet, Oday Dabbagh, Alfie Dorrington and Jeppe Okkels – returning to the club, Burrows added: “We are just in discussions on that. As of right moment, there’s been no additional movement.”

‘Cup win has brought the club and the city together’

The dust has settled on Aberdeen’s Scottish Cup victory, with fans flocking to the streets of the city 24 hours later for the club’s open-top bus procession after the game at Hampden. Burrows is overjoyed that the weekend provided memories that will last a lifetime for the Red Army.