There is little doubt the area in need of most work this summer at Aberdeen is the forward line.
Aberdeen’s lack of goals can be traced back further than this campaign with the team’s struggles in front of goal starting in the final months of former manager Derek McInnes’ reign.
The sale of Sam Cosgrove to Birmingham City on deadline day in 2021 was where the Dons’ goal threat dipped dramatically.
The team scored eight goals in the 15 games played after the Englishman returned south and ended the campaign with a new manager in Stephen Glass and the lowest tally in recent memory of 36 goals scored in the league.
For comparison, the team had scored 40 in the league before the previous campaign in 2019-20 was cut short at the 30-game mark due to the Covid outbreak.
In every other season McInnes was in charge the team never scored fewer than 50 in the league with the 2016-17 league campaign producing the best return of a hugely impressive 74 goals scored in 38 matches.
Managerial changes but striking issues remain
The post-McInnes era has brought a huge change in personnel under Glass but little change in the goalscoring department with the Dons ending this campaign with 41 goals in the Scottish Premiership.
Lewis Ferguson and Christian Ramirez scored 21 of those goals between them with Ferguson netting 11 times to Ramirez’s 10 in the top flight.
Marley Watkins is next on the list with three followed by Ryan Hedges, who left for Blackburn Rovers in January, on two.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, the club’s other big name attacking signing last summer, left the club before the season had ended with zero league goals to his name. He had one in all competitions, his only goal coming in the League Cup exit at Raith Rovers.
For a player who had predicted he would break the 20-goal barrier when he arrived it is about far off the mark as you can get.
Aberdeen’s struggles in front of goal, allied to an inability to keep the ball out of their own net, ultimately cost Glass his job and it has now fallen to Jim Goodwin to find a solution.
Future uncertain for Aberdeen’s two main scorers
At this point a huge question mark hangs over his two most prolific scorers.
Ramirez was allowed to return to the United States a week early and with two games of the campaign remaining.
The manager cited fatigue for the decision to allow Ramirez to head home before the end of the campaign but given the American failed to score a goal for his new manager it is not hard to see why the Dons boss felt he could cope in the striker’s absence.
The bigger question now of course is whether he will return.
Ramirez has looked like a man who would rather be anywhere other than leading the line at Aberdeen with his contribution to the cause petering out in the final months of the campaign.
With his family having returned across the Atlantic before he departed it would not be a surprise if a parting of the ways does come this summer.
Time will tell.
Ferguson departure would only add to striking woes
The same applies to midfielder Ferguson. He submitted a transfer request a year ago following interest from Watford in his services and 12 months later that request has not been withdrawn.
Ferguson can add the tag of Scotland international and Aberdeen’s leading goalscorer to his list of accomplishments this season in what has been a solid season for him on a personal level.
But the player’s admission after the 1-0 loss at St Johnstone that he does not know whether he will be an Aberdeen player after the summer continues to muddy the waters.
Should both players depart it would weaken Aberdeen’s attacking options further.
Every fan could see it was an area in need of addressing in January.
The case could be made that failing to bring in a proven goalscorer cost Aberdeen dear in the second half of the season.
Addressing that deficiency is vital if the Dons harbour serious ambitions of being a force near the top of the table again next season.
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