Winger Vicente Besuijen must be Aberdeen’s signing blueprint during the summer transfer window rebuild.
The January capture of the 21-year-old embodies all that is required to get the Dons back on track both in the short and long-term.
Besuijen is an exciting, ambitious young talent who can get supporters up on their feet.
Aberdeen outlaid £420,000 to sign the winger from Dutch second tier ADO Den Haag during the winter window.
Just four months into his Pittodrie career that already looks like a sound investment.
The Netherlands U19 international is a vibrant talent brimming with potential. He also has bite and real fighting spirit.
Crucially, the Dons also secured Besuijen on an extended four-and-a-half-year contract until summer 2026.
It is very early days in his Pittodrie career, but initial indications are that Besuijen can thrive in Scotland and reach high levels.
That could eventually attract interest from clubs looking to buy the winger for multiples of what Aberdeen originally paid out.
However, that scenario is likely a few seasons down the line and only if he continues to shine in Scotland.
🔴 Our Goal Of The Season, sponsored by Cable Solutions Worldwide, is Vicente Besuijen.
🇳🇱 Congratulations Vinnie! #StandFree pic.twitter.com/sOwFt1EzLA
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) April 28, 2022
The ideal pathway for Besuijen, and any young talent, is to play around 100 first team games before moving on for a substantial profit.
That way Aberdeen and the player both benefit. It is win-win for both parties.
A sell-on clause of between 20 to 25 percent on any young talent to cash in further down the line is also vital.
It is a model that should be in cycle 0 continually repeating, providing young talent for the first team and eventual funds to be re-invested.
Aberdeen are right to scour Europe for signings.
There is an ocean of talent in the European market and the Reds must cast the net wide.
Bargains can also be discovered away from an inflated British market.
‘The only stat that matters is three points’
Besuijen arrived at Pittodrie with a strong CV.
He came through the legendary Ajax Youth Academy and was also signed by Italian giants Roma.
He made 30 appearances in the Dutch top-flight in the 2020-21 season, scoring once.
Besuijen started against Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and UEFA Conference League finalists Feyenoord during that season. Invaluable experience for a young talent.
Following ADO Den Haag’s relegation to the second tier in summer 2021, Besuijen continued to be a key player.
He featured 25 times in the first half of the 2021-22 campaign, scoring six goals and pitching in with 10 assists, before the switch to Pittodrie.
Besuijen had 18 months remaining on his ADO Den Haag contract.
Securing him for £420,000 on a long deal is already looking like a bargain.
Had ADO Den Haag not been relegated, he would surely have been out with Aberdeen’s price range.
It could be an investment that will pay out for a few seasons on the pitch and then in monetary terms with a future transfer.
Aberdeen Head of Recruitment Darren Mowbray has recently visited Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia in the search for signings.
The Reds have active transfer targets overseas for what will be a major summer reconstruction of an underperforming squad.
It is vital Aberdeen sign potential game-changers like Besuijen or risk a rerun of last season.
After enduring the dirge of the 2021-22 campaign, the Red Army certainly need more players like Besuiujen to inject excitement into games.
Aberdeen need talents like the Netherlands winger who transform games with a burst of pace, flash of skill, defence-splitting pass or goal.
Too many times the Reds had 70 to 75% of possession only to drop points.
The only stat that matters is three points.
Players like Besuijen can deliver that.
⚽ Vicente Besuijen is off the mark for The Dons. pic.twitter.com/g6qYQDKz0f
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) February 20, 2022
Dons deliver group stage action!
When Aberdeen began the 2021-22 season with the target of delivering group stage football – no one could have imagined it would be in the Premier Sports Cup.
There were such high hopes last summer when the Reds progressed to the Europa Conference League play-offs against Qarabag.
Win that play-off and the Reds would have qualified for the Europa League group stages and earned the £3 million financial boost.
Europe seems light years away as Aberdeen were today set to discover their opponents in the group stages of the Premier Sports Cup.
After eight successive years of European football, the Dons will miss continental action. Although with the extortionate cost of fuel, it probably won’t be much cheaper for the Red Army to follow their side in the Premier Sports Cup than Europe.
Aberdeen will begin their group stage bid on the weekend of July 9-10.
Regionalisation has been removed for the 2022/23 season in the tournament after six years of the North/South split in the group stage.
Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin hopes to get the vast majority of his pre-season transfer business completed before returning for pre-season in mid June.
That will give the new look Dons more than three weeks of preparation for the Premier Sports Cup.
It is imperative they begin the season positively in the group stages to build early momentum.
The games may be against lower league opposition – but the Reds will need to gel quickly to prevent any shocks.
Pro boxing returns to Inverness
Undefeated North professional boxer Ben Bartlett will headline a show in Inverness on Saturday night.
The 22-year-old, from Dingwall, has a flawless pro record of three wins from three fights and is an exciting talent.
He will step up to super-lightweight for the fight at the Inverness Leisure Centre.
Professional boxing is on the rise in Inverness and this is a great opportunity to see a new breed of talent coming through.
Bartlett is on schedule to fight for a title by the end of the year.
