Aberdeen

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Aberdeen head coach Stephen Robinson has hailed the impact of his Summer signings and believes his new-look team is improving game by game.

The Dons have recruited 11 players so far during the current transfer window.

Two of them, Dan Happe and Lewis Neilson, scored as they defeated Queen's Park 2-1 at the weekend, making it two wins out of two in the group stage of the Premier Sports Cup, a game that also saw new goalie Marius Muller catch the eye.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday night's trip to play League One Queen of the South, Robinson said: "It is always nice to see new signings hit the ground running.

"I believe all the new signings have really made an impression, there are a lot of new faces, so it takes time that understanding.

"I believe I can see the understanding coming, relationships building on the pitch as well and off the pitch, but that does take time.

"When you bring that many players in, there is going to be a bedding-in period, but we are doing that by winning games at the same time.

"I feel that there is an improvement in every game we have played, including the pre-season ones, and we are looking for that step forward again on Wednesday night."

While the focus is on the new signings, midfielder Findlay Marshall is hoping this will be his breakthrough season at Pittodrie.

The 20-year-old signed a new deal in April after impressing on loan at Arbroath last term, but he has yet to feature in the two competitive games the Dons have played this time round.

Robinson added: "Marsh has gone out on loan, he has to now come in and be better than what is in front of him.

"That is the reality of being a first team footballer, it is not the democratic society of Aberdeen where everybody gets equal game time.

"You have to be better than the person in front of you.

"Ultimately, they have to play football, developing isn't sitting on a bench, so I think the club do this really well with the loan system they have, and we will continue to do that, and we will look at those boys come the end of August and 'do they need to go out on loan again? Do they need to develop further ?.

"We are talking about very, very young boys with little experience, and to play for Aberdeen you need that mentality, you need that backbone, you need the experience of playing football matches.

"You only gain it by playing, so we will look at that very closely, and Marsh will be one of those players as well."

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Stephen Robinson praised debutant goalkeeper Marius Muller after the German helped Aberdeen overcome Queen's Park in the Premier Sports Cup.

The Dons made it two wins out of two in Group A with Dan Happe netting his first Aberdeen goal early on and another debutant, Lewis Smith, making it 2-0 on 11 minutes.

Jack Hamilton replied for the Spiders in the second half and Muller's triple save kept the hosts in front.

"We shouldn't be relying on Marius to make a triple save," manager Robinson told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"It was a fantastic save and that's why we signed him so, on a positive, we've signed a very good goalkeeper.

"We should be out of sight in the game. We start really well with energy and then the game becomes too easy and we start taking liberties and slowing the game down, not doing simple things better than the others.

"We should've scored another two or three goals.

"A lot of positives, a lot of good performances from new players. We get better as we go, no doubt."

Aberdeen travel to take on Queen of the South in Dumfries in their next fixture on Wednesday (19:45 BST) then finish Group A at home to Kelty Hearts on Saturday.

Manager Stephen Robinson has further targets as he continues to reshape the Aberdeen squad. (Press and Journal - subscription required, external)

And Robinson expects departures from Pittodrie "in the coming weeks". (Record, external)

Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Stephen Robinson wants a trimmed down Aberdeen squad before the start of the season, but insists he is still targeting further recruits.

Goalkeeper Marius Muller signed a two-year deal with the Dons on Thursday, joining Tony Yogane, Lewis Smith, Ayoub Mouloua, Connor Ronan, Alexander Briedl, Brad Lyons, Lewis Mayo, Dan Happe, Toyosi Olusanya and Nesta Guinness-Walker through the door at Pittodrie.

Robinson says the club acted quickly to recruit the 33-year-old German amid interest in number one Dimitar Mitov and expects further deals to follow.

"A manager always needs to bring in more," he said with a chuckle.

"We're still looking and there's still areas we need to be stronger. There's players I believe will leave the club in the coming weeks.

"We need to hit the ground running and do our signings early so you're prepared. We've got our eyes on other people, but there's people that need to leave as well. The squad is too big at the moment."

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Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson liked what he saw from Lewis Smith as the winger made his competitive debut for the Dons against Brora Rangers on Tuesday night.

The attacker, who joined from Livingston at the start of the week, was in the starting line-up as the Dons defeated Brora Rangers 2-0 in their League Cup group stage opener.

The 26-year-old played an hour before being replaced by Toyosi Olusanya.

"I'm not sure he was expecting it," Robinson told club media of the decision to start Smith.

"But we wanted to introduce him straight away, get him into our way of thinking.

"It wasn't a brilliant pitch for wingers, traveling with the ball was hard and bobbling everywhere which slows it down a little bit, but he gets 60 minutes under his belt.

"He understands now what we want from him as well in possession. Out of possession we didn't really get tested, but we're delighted to have Lewis on board and we believe him and Tony Yogane will be exciting going forward."

Hacken and Rakow Czestochowa have made enquiries about Aberdeen left-back Mitchel Frame, while Plymouth Argyle are also keen on the 20-year-old. (Sky Sports, external)

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Aberdeen have sold striker Marko Lazetic to Armenian Premier League runners-up Noah for an undisclosed fee.

The 22-year-old Serb joined the Dons from AC Milan last summer but made just 14 starts as well as 22 substitute appearances, scoring four times.

Lazetic had signed a contract until summer 2029 but did not figure in manager Stephen Robinson's plans for the coming season.

Robinson told his club website: "I spoke to Marko towards the end of last season and we both agreed that a move would be the best outcome for everyone.

"It took a little time to find the right opportunity, but we've now reached an agreement with FC Noah that works for all parties."

Belgrade-born Lazetic came through the youth ranks with local club Red Star before joining AC in 2022 and then had loan spells with Rheindorf Altach, Fortuna Sittard and Serbian club TSC before joining Aberdeen.

He now joins a Noah side who finished second behind Ararat-Armenia as they looked to repeat their first title win in 2025 but did win their domestic cup.

Noah face Zimbru Chișinau of Moldova in the second round of Conference League qualifying later this month.

Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson hopes to sign two wide players following the departure of Finland winger Topi Keskinen. (Press & Journal - subscription required, external)

Sunday's Scottish gossip

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Goals from Brad Lyons and Dylan Lobban helped Aberdeen to a 2-0 win over Linfield in their final pre-season friendly.

Lyons got the Dons up and running in Belfast after six minutes when he turned home Toyosi Olusanya's pass.

Lobban grabbed the second shortly before half-time after Tony Yogane set up the young defender. He took a touch before sending a clinical finish into the back of the net from eight yards out.

Stephen Robinson's side begin their new season on Tuesday evening as they travel to Brora Rangers in the League Cup.

Aberdeen received more than £1m from Odense for winger Topi Keskinen, 23, and will make a sizeable profit on the Finland international. (Press and Journal - subscription required, external)

Saturday's Scottish football gossip

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Topi Keskinen will "always be grateful" for his Scottish Cup success at Aberdeen after moving to Odense for an undisclosed fee.

The Finland winger departs Pittodrie after 89 appearances and nine goals over two seasons.

Odense were eighth in Denmark's Superliga last season.

And former HJK Helsinki player Keskinen, 23, told Aberdeen club media: "I was made to feel very welcome by everyone at Aberdeen and by the supporters.

"I'll always be grateful to be leaving with a Scottish Cup winners' medal.

"I wish the club every success in the future and I'll always look back on my time in Aberdeen fondly."

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After a turbulent 2025-26 campaign that swung from Scottish Cup glory to relegation worries, Aberdeen head into a new season with Stephen Robinson at the helm and a major rebuild under way.

In the latest BBC Scottish Football Podcast, Charlotte Cohen is joined by Aberdeen supporter Beth Wallace and Press & Journal chief sports writer Ryan Cryle to reflect on the end of the Jimmy Thelin era, the challenges facing the club and the expectations for the months ahead.

The panel discuss a busy summer of recruitment, the search for goals, concerns over last season's defensive frailties and how Robinson wants his side to play.

They also assess the pressure on the manager, the role of key players like Kevin Nisbet and Toyosi Olusanya and whether the Dons can re-establish themselves as contenders for Europe.

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Aberdeen are interested in a loan switch for 19-year-old Hull City defender Cathal McCarthy. (Mark Hendry on Substack, external)

Hajduk Split are the latest club to express an interest in 23-year-old Aberdeen winger Topi Keskinen. (Daily Record, external)

Swedish club Hacken and Polish outfit Rakow Czestochowa have targeted 20-year-old Aberdeen left-back Mitchel Frame. (Pete O'Rourke on X, external)

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Nesta Guinness-Walker has joined Aberdeen on a two-year contract after the 26-year-old English left-back departed relegated Northampton Town.

Guinness-Walker had spent two years with The Cobblers and made 43 appearances last season, 34 of them starts, as they finished bottom of League One.

The product of the Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur youth systems told Aberdeen's website: "I'm buzzing to be here.

"As soon as Aberdeen showed interest, I was keen to get the deal done.

"The club has a rich history, the fans look amazing and, after speaking to the manager, the ambition here was clear."

Guinness-Walker started his senior career with the Metropolitan Police then had spells with Reading and Stevenage before joining Northampton.

Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson said of his ninth summer signing: "Nesta brings real pace and energy down the side and his experience will also help Emmanuel [Gyamfi] and Mitchel [Frame] with their continued development.

"He has played extensively in the English Championship and League One and was named Northampton's player of the year last season.

"He will need a few weeks to get up to speed as his season finished earlier, but our team behind the scenes will create a tailored programme to help him integrate and be ready for action as quickly as possible."

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Aberdeen midfielder Alfie Stewart has returned to Inverness Caledonian Thistle for a third season on loan.

Having helped Caley Thistle retain their League 1 status two seasons ago, the 19-year-old made 48 appearances and scored eight goals last season as they won the title to return to the Championship.

Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson told his club website: "Alfie is a talented young player who has performed well in pre-season training, but as part of his wider development plan, it is vital he continues to gain exposure to regular first-team football."

Stewart joins another product of Aberdeen's youth system, striker Alfie Bavidge, for a third loan spell at Caledonian Stadium.