The Aberdeen midfield was the one area of the team which, on paper at least, looked to have an abundance of options at the start of the season.
When Matty Longstaff arrived on loan from Newcastle United back in August there was genuine excitement about permutations former manager Stephen Glass had at his disposal.
Longstaff joined an already packed midfield which included Scott Brown, Funso Ojo, Dylan McGeouch, Dean Campbell and Teddy Jenks for the central roles alone.
Fast forward to May and Brown, Longstaff and Jenks had departed before the season had ended, Campbell has only just returned from a spell in the Championship with Kilmarnock while Ojo and McGeouch are heading for pastures new after being told they won’t be offered new deals.
Glass departure led to reshuffle of Dons midfield
The emergence of Connor Barron from the youth team, the January signing of American college player Dante Polvara and restoration to a midfield role for Ross McCrorie by Jim Goodwin following his arrival in February shows just how much the Dons midfield has changed in a matter of months.
But the need for creativity sticks out like a sore thumb.
Goodwin took charge for the final 12 games of the season. In that time the Dons scored 10 goals.
They managed more than one goal in a game on only two occasions, a 3-1 home win against Hibernian followed by the 2-2 draw with Dundee at Dens Park.
We’ll come to the forward line another time but in terms of creativity it has been scarce, to put it mildly.
Creative spark lacking at Pittodrie
Aberdeen ended the season on Sunday with a goalless draw against St Mirren at Pittodrie. With all the games now played the final tallies make for grim reading.
Lewis Ferguson ended the campaign with 16 goals, nine of which were from the penalty spot. The club’s leading scorer, he beat team-mate Christian Ramirez by one to end the season top of the Pittodrie goal chart.
Collectively, the team amassed 47 assists with 17 coming from the defence and 25 from midfield. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Ramirez provided the five other assists.
Calvin Ramsay’s nine assists made him top of the Pittodrie creator table with Ryan Hedges second with six. Hedges left in January while Ramsay has added just one to the eight he had to his name before Christmas.
Dons chairman Dave Cormack has cited the data on several occasions this season and while the possession has been good for Aberdeen it has seldom translated into goals.
In short, the Aberdeen team which limped over the finish line on Sunday is screaming for an injection of creativity over the summer.
Former Saints players on Goodwin’s radar
In what has been a familiar theme since Goodwin arrived, he has looked to players he knows from his former club St Mirren as possible targets as he looks to implement a high-tempo, pressing approach.
Jamie McGrath, a long-time Dons target, opted for a move to England in January when he joined Wigan Athletic.
Wigan will be playing in the Championship next season after winning League One but for McGrath his prospects with the club look grim. Since leaving Paisley he has played just 249 minutes of football for his current club.
But with 17 goals and six assists from midfield for Goodwin at Saints last season it is not hard to see why the Dons manager is keen to link up with the Irishman again.
That sort of contribution for Aberdeen would be transformational for what was a plodding, passive team for much of the campaign.
The other player of interest is Connor Ronan of Wolves who has spent the season on loan at the Paisley club.
With eight goals and five assists for the Buddies this season he too could bring an added goal threat as well as a touch of flair to the side.
Ronan will return to Wolves but Aberdeen is not the only club in Scotland keen to bring the player back to the Premiership with Hearts also interested.
The Jambos can offer European football but Goodwin has the advantage of having worked with the player prior to moving to Pittodrie.
Wolves are understood to be open to letting Ronan leave but will be looking for a fee for the 24 year-old.
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