Sea change for Dons target Aluko

calderwood’s pledge as sone chooses another coastal posting that is much closer to home

By Paul Smith

Published:

Jimmy Calderwood insists that signing target Sone Aluko’s decision to snub Aberdeen in favour of joining Blackpool will not deter him from making further bids for promising young players from English clubs.

Aluko’s one-month loan from Birmingham to the Seasiders was confirmed yesterday, ending a three-month pursuit of the attacker by the Dons as they attempted to bring him back to the SPL after last term’s successful Pittodrie spell.

Calderwood insists Aluko’s decision is no slight on the club and he is actively working on other loan signings.

The Dons manager said: “I spoke to Sone at the weekend and he told me his decision.

“It is disappointing. We have talked to him a few times over the summer and we were keen to have him back. There was no problem with Birmingham City or Alex McLeish but Sone felt he wanted to be closer to home and his family in England.”

The England youth cap has agreed only to a four-week stint with Blackpool initially and Calderwood has not given up completely on bringing him back to Pittodrie at some stage.

He said: “Regardless of what happens at the end of his first month at Blackpool, he cannot come here then. The transfer window in Scotland will be closed by then until January.

“You never say never in football but it is a certainty he will not be coming back before Christmas.”

Calderwood, who will not make a bid to bring Josh Walker back on loan from Middlesbrough, was heartened by Aluko’s view of his experiences last season. He said: “Sone hinted a couple of weeks ago that, as much as he enjoyed it up here, he would prefer to stay closer to home. He said he really loved the time he spent here.

“It will not put us off looking at alternative loan signings and that is something we are working on.”

The Dons, still reeling from the disapointment of Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Inverness, hope to give Tommy Wright his debut in the reserve team fixture against the Caley Jags at Brechin today.

His availability, along with the return to fitness of youngsters Peter Pawlett and Sammy Stewart, will add to the manager’s options for Saturday’s game against Motherwell.

But it is the players already in the team from whom Calderwood is demanding more.

He said: “On Saturday we started the game brightly, stuck to the game plan and knew exactly how they were going to play.

“Craig Brewster had Inverness well-organised and they got their break with the goal. Then we started to make too many wrong choices.

“In the second half particularly, Inverness had the bit between their teeth. We got frustrated and lost our gameplan, launching long balls forward which suited the opposition down to the ground.

“As soon as we lost the goal, everyone was looking for guidance. Some people should be getting the game by the scruff of the neck and say this isn’t going to happen to us. I thought Scott Severin did well as captain but it needs people further up the park to direct things too.

“There are a lot of new players who are finding out about the expectation here.

“They have to keep doing the same things they have been doing all throughout their career when they are on the ball.

“They have to get on the ball and play, regardless of whether people are getting frustrated. When you start to try and force the issue, it leads to problems.”