Ylber Ramadani has big shoes to fill if he is to take the place of Lewis Ferguson in the Aberdeen team.
Dons boss Jim Goodwin has earmarked Albanian international Ramadani as the replacement for Bologna-bound Ferguson.
Ramadani, who finally arrived at the club yesterday following a protracted visa application process, was signed to replace Ferguson in the heart of the Aberdeen engine room.
Given Ferguson ended last season with 16 goals for his efforts I don’t expect Ramadani to shoulder the goalscoring burden in the Dons midfield.
But I do expect him to offer the same energy and control which Ferguson brought to the team.
While Ramadani settles into his new surroundings I’ll be interested to see how Ferguson does in Italy.
It’s a different style of play there and I hope it works out for him.
Serie A will be a very different challenge for a combative midfielder but clearly Ferguson has looked at the success Aaron Hickey has had there and believes he can do the same.
I wish him the very best of luck.
Will Goodwin receive more backing in the transfer market?
By my reckoning the sale of Ferguson, added to the proceeds of Calvin Ramsay’s move to Liverpool and the bonus from Scott McKenna’s promotion-winning season with Nottingham Forest has generated around £8million to the Pittodrie coffers so far this summer.
Goodwin has had roughly £1million of that money so far but I would hope there is still a significant portion coming the manager’s way in the weeks ahead.
The Dons have strengthened their attack, defender and goalkeeping options but I’d still like to see some more creativity in the side and those sort of positions are the ones which normally require the most investment.
With Christian Ramirez after scoring both goals in the Premier Sports Cup win at Peterhead on Sunday, and the imminent arrival of Bojan Miovski to follow, Aberdeen could be done with finding a supporting cast to furnish their two strikers with the chances they will crave.
Blue Toon win an encouraging start for the Dons
But all things considered Sunday was a decent start for the Dons at Balmoor.
A rare clean sheet, of which there were precious few last season, an away win which was even rarer, and a winning start for a new captain represents a good day’s work for the club.
I’m looking forward to seeing new skipper Anthony Stewart in action as he is a player who was highly regarded before moving to Pittodrie.
This no slight on former captain Joe Lewis but I’m fully behind the appointment of the former Wycombe Wanderers central defender as the captain.
I always look to defenders as the best area of the team for potential captains as they can see the game in front of them and are usually very good communicators.
For that reason I prefer a defender, or at a push a midfielder, for the role ahead of goalkeepers and strikers.
Future is bright for Oakley back at Inverness
I’m pleased to see George Oakley back at Caley Thistle but I hope he will be joined by another couple of new faces before the Championship campaign gets under way.
Oakley had a decent spell at Inverness first time round before having spells at Hamilton, Bulgaria, Kilmarnock and Woking prior to returning to the Highlands.
He is a big bustling striker and a player who is adept at holding the ball up and bringing others into play.
I’m sure both Billy Mckay and Austin Samuels will enjoy playing off him in the Championship.
If Billy Dodds’ side can follow that up with a result at Livingston tonight they will be in a very good position at the halfway mark.
With the champions of League 2, League 1 and a Premiership team in Livi, it was always going to be a tough group for Caley Jags.
But four or six points from their two away games would be a great start and give them a real chance of going through.
Ultimately though the League Cup is a tune-up for the new season for Inverness.
The Championship is what it is all about for the club this season and while Dundee are favourites after dropping out of the Premiership I expect Inverness to push them hard.
The play-offs is a minimum requirement as far as I’m concerned and if the club is in genuine contention come January then I hope lessons are learned from last season.
The chance to strengthen the squad with experience was squandered and it was an opportunity missed for me.
Highland League clubs show their mettle in League Cup
It was great to see the Highland League sides give a good account of themselves in the Premier Sports Cup.
I was at Bellslea for the first time in years to watch Fraserburgh take on Kilmarnock.
The Highland League champions were without a few senior players and it showed in the first half as Derek McInnes’ side cruised into a 2-0 half-time lead.
But the second half was a different story as the Broch gave a much better account of themselves and pulled a goal back.
The same can be said for my old club Buckie Thistle who held Ross County to a draw at Victoria Park before missing out on a bonus point after losing the penalty shoot-out.
With big crowds at both games it’s great to see the Highland League sides justifying their inclusion in the tournament by being competitive opponents for the teams from leagues above them.
