Aberdeen’s pursuit of Swedish manager Jimmy Thelin has taken a step forward.
Reports in Sweden claim his current club Elfsborg are lining up managerial replacements for their potentially Pittodrie-bound boss.
The Dons axed previous manager Barry Robson more than two months ago, and though they have been linked to 46-year-old Thelin for weeks, it appears a deal now looks to be edging closer.
Thelin was interviewed by the Reds last year prior to Robson’s appointment, but securing him this time around has been delayed by his reluctance to leave current club Elfsborg in the lurch.
The Allsvenskan season only recently started, and it was previously reported Aberdeen might have to wait until the summer before being able to coax Thelin away from last season’s Swedish top-flight runners-up.
However, Boras Tidning – Elfsborg’s local paper – on Wednesday reported Thelin has made clear to Elfsborg he IS keen on the Dons job, but wants them to have a replacements lined up when he leaves the club.
The report says Elfsborg are “working on an agreement” to bring in a new coaching team of ex-Sweden and Elfsborg, PSV and Palermo midfielder Oscar Hiljemark, 31, who is currently head coach of Aalborg in Denmark, and former Elfsborg, Copenhagen and Sweden coach, and current Swedish FA technical director, Peter Wettergren, 56.
Boras Tidning report Elfsborg technical director Stefan Andreasson was tight-lipped on potential Thelin replacments, saying: “I have no comments on that. Jimmy is our coach and the day he leaves we will have clear ideas on how to move forward, but I want to point out that we are not there today.
“We are just at the beginning of our season and Jimmy is leading the team.”
He added: “There has been a lot of speculation about Jimmy’s future and it will continue to do so.
“It is a sign that Elfsborg is doing something good when players and coaches are attractive internationally.”
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