A recruitment campaign which began with players well known in Scottish football has expanded internationally for Aberdeen.
It should come as no surprise to see the football scene in the United States loom into view for Dons boss Stephen Glass. After all, Major League Soccer (MLS) and the leagues below it are divisions which the new Aberdeen manager knows well.
Atlanta United right back Jack Gurr, a 25-year-old Englishman, will join the Dons on loan from Glass’ former club and his imminent arrival could be followed by Houston Dynamo striker Christian Ramirez.
Glass knows Gurr. The duo worked together in his time in charge of Atlanta United 2, the MLS club’s second string team which plays in the United Soccer League Championship, the second tier of football across the Atlantic.
It should come as no surprise to see a manager return to a market he knows and utilise his contacts, and it will not be a shock if Gurr is joined at Pittodrie next season by another member of the Atlanta United roster.
Given the two clubs, Atlanta and Aberdeen, have formed a strategic partnership, it would be akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face in not utilising access to talent pool on your own doorstep.
We’ve already seen it operate from the US to Scotland with former Red Stripes utility player Jon Gallagher, now at Austin FC in the MLS, and – had Covid not reared its head last year – the player exchange would have flown from Pittodrie to the state of Georgia too with Jack MacKenzie primed for a loan move from the Dons.
Loans are useful tools in any manager’s arsenal, but Glass’ interest in Ramirez represents a tentative dip of the toe into the US transfer market for Aberdeen.
Glass’ former club tried to bring him to Atlanta 14 months ago, while his assistant Allan Russell worked with the striker during his time in the United States when he first set-up his specialist coaching business.
Aberdeen, clearly, have done their homework and believe Ramirez has something to offer.
The Dons are set to make their move for the former US international, but there are obstacles to be overcome before Aberdeen fans will see the 30-year-old run out at Pittodrie.
First of all, they have to reach an agreement with the league itself and let’s just say it is complicated.
Houston would receive a portion of the fee, which is determined by their investment in the player, while some would go to the league itself. The salary budget of the selling club is effectively only increased by what the player on their books was being paid, so it is not as if any fee is reinvested in the wages a club can offer.
Negotiating a fee is the easy part
In many ways, negotiating the transfer is the easy part. It’s getting him into the country which is the challenge.
Let’s start with the work permit: Ramirez has two international caps for the US, but they were more than two years ago. They will be taken into account along with his age, game time and standing of his club when weighing up whether a permit is granted.
In the post-Brexit era for work permits, it seems highly likely this application will go to an appeal should the Dons get their deal this far down the line and that will be where new director of football Steven Gunn’s powers of persuasion will be required.
Can he make the case, as no doubt Glass and Russell have, that a 30-year-old striker from the MLS can add to the Scottish Premiership?
The Dons have successfully argued their case before, having convinced the SFA that 24-year-old Serbian-born Montenegrin Nikola Vujadinovic should be granted a work permit for a loan from Italian club Udinese in 2010 after the initial application had been rejected.
A similar fight lies ahead should Aberdeen complete a deal for Ramirez, but – with Gurr on his way and Dons chairman Dave Cormack expressing his desire to see the club cast the net wide – it seems certain the US market is one the Dons, especially while Glass is at the helm, will be keen to explore.