Dons sign Kevin Nisbet

Thelin adds Scottish International on Loan

Aberdeen have announced the loan signing of Scotland international Kevin Nisbet from English Championship side Millwall. The former Hibernian striker joins on a season-long loan deal. There is no indication of an option to purchase at the conclusion of the deal.

Nisbet (27) joined the Lions last summer in a £2 million deal but has only managed 5 goals in 27 appearances in an injury disrupted spell. He has clashed with Millwall manager Neil Harris and has been deemed surplus to requirements at the New Den.

Subject to international clearance, he goes straight into the squad for the Kilmarnock match tomorrow.

What are we getting?

Nisbet’s record in the SPFL Premiership, makes for better reading although his numbers are not exceptional. In his three seasons in the top flight he netted 31 goals in 78 appearances. He has also struggled with injuries playing in only 26 and 19 games over the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons respectively. Nisbet suffered a serious knee injury in February 2022 which kept him out of action for seven months.

In 2021 he made his Scotland debut and has since racked up 11 caps. He was named in Steve Clarke’s Euro 2020 squad.

Picking up ‘damaged’ personalities from the English leagues is nothing new for Aberdeen and Nisbet is not the first, nor will he be the last, Scottish forward to struggle in such a physical environment. There is no doubt he is proven at the SPFL level and if he can remain motivated and fit, Aberdeen may well have a ready-made replacement for Bojan Miovski’s goals.

What they said

Both Thelin and Nisbet spoke to www.afc.co.uk

Kevin Nisbet

“As soon as I knew Aberdeen were interested, it was a no brainer to be honest. I did have options down south and with other teams in Scotland but the way the team have started the season, I wanted to get involved.

“This is a massive Club. It’s one that makes an impression on you and I want to be part of that.

“I spoke to the gaffer and listened to his philosophy and his plans. I was impressed with his style of play and I believe it suits me. It is an exciting project that I want to be part of and I am ready to give it my all for the fans.”

Jimmy Thelin

“Kevin is a fantastic addition for us. His appetite and desire to come to Aberdeen and be part of what we are building here was really pleasing”, said Dons boss Jimmy Thelin.

“He is a proven goalscorer, with a particularly impressive scoring rate here in Scotland, and he’ll further strengthen our squad, providing healthy competition in the forward areas.

“He also has all the personal attributes we look for in a player and we believe his energy will have an instant impact with our supporters.”

How does he fit within Thelin’s System?

I took a quick look at the Elfsborg scoring charts under Thelin over the last few years. The highest scorer over his tenure was Jesper Karlsson in 2019/20 with 13. Karlsson is listed as a right winger, and it is a feature that wide players are the biggest contributors for Elfsborg. A prolific centre forward does not seem an essential element to his style of play. In most seasons there are around 3-4 players hovering around double figures.

From what we have seen so far, in the build-up phase, the #9 can expect to contribute as a target man (on the ground from mainly but in the air if required) and have a key role in linking up play with drop offs for supporting midfielders. Nisbet seemed to improve on this area over his time at Hibs.

More relevant will be Nesbit’s ability to find space and finish inside the box. This may well dovetail beautifully with Thelin’s ‘overloads in the box’ mantra and provide plenty of opportunities for a player who can get on the end of crosses on the ground and in the air. His presence will also draw attention, creating space for the wide players.

Defensively he will be expected to press with intelligence and intensity.

What does this mean for the current forwards?

Ester Sokler

Ester Sokler had been considered the heir apparent to the North Macedonian’s throne, and one does feel for the Slovenian who has yet to get an extended run in the team.

Though he has scored four goals so far this season they all came against League One opposition in Queen of the South and Dumbarton. He has failed to take his opportunities against St. Johnstone and St. Mirren, although he was unfortunate to have a goal disallowed versus Queen’s Park.

Sokler will now have to battle his way into contention. Nisbet has been injury-prone so it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of Ester but one does wonder if his days are now numbered at AB24.

Pape Habib Guèye

Pape’s versatility may offer him more breathing space than Sokler as he has played as a #10 and wide man so far this season. He has performed better since returning from loan but that would not be hard following his miserable spell last season.

There has been little to suggest, in my opinion, that he can be a major contributor to the team long-term. If there are suitors in Scandinavia, now would be the time for the club to cut their losses.

Peter Ambrose

Ambrose has been considered a project but he now moves down the pecking order one more rung (assuming everyone stays). We really have not seen enough of him to pass a fair judgement on his potential.

I would not expect this move to affect him in terms of his place within the squad but the bigger question is how he is expected to develop without any meaningful minutes. It would be great to see him learn more about Scottish football with a loan to a lower level Premiership or Championship team.

Alfie Bavidge

Bavidge has been linked this week to a loan move to Inverness which does not seem to make much sense other than the emotional tie to his father, a fine player who played for Caley in the 2000s and the potential to learn from Big Dunc.

Inverness look a complete basket case at the current point in time. Bavidge has already proved himself at this level during his loan at Kelty last year. A Championship team would seem to be a better fit if at all possible for the 18-year-old.

Personally, I would like to see him move up the pecking order and compete with Sokler as Nisbet’s understudy but he would appear to be the most likely to depart on loan.