Derek McInnes may have the Dons in the best shape they have been in for years but there are still gaps to be sorted out.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, the Aberdeen boss will be looking at his options and where he can potentially strengthen.
In the Summer window, he brought in Joe Lewis, Anthony O’Connor, Jayden Stockley, Callum Morris, Neil Alexander, Miles Storey; and Wes Burns and James Maddison on loan.
McInnes’ signings have proven incredibly astute, with the likes of Maddison and O’Connor immediately settling into the squad and Joe Lewis appearing to be a permanent solution to the Dons’ goalkeeping woes.
So where can McInnes improve – and who might he seek out to add to his ranks? Here’s the key areas the gaffer should look at…
Midfield
The last transfer window saw Dons fans contend with the transfer saga that was Khalid Aucho. The diminutive Ugandan started out as a supposed Rangers target before news broke that scouts in the north-east were interested.
He finally reached the Granite City in late July after more than a month of touting himself to Aberdeen on social media. While McInnes eventually ruled out a move for the international, his trial represented one of the most pressing issues for the Dons squad.
Ryan Jack has now returned to the first team after a long spell out but his injury and the departure of Willo Flood to Dundee United left Aberdeen looking more than a bit sparse in the middle during the first half of the season.
Vice-captain Graeme Shinnie was drafted in and proved again how valuable his versatility is to the team but the former Caley Jags man has shown time and time again he plays best as a defender.
The current midfield has taken the Dons to a League Cup final and second place in the Scottish Premiership but if they want to push for more, this is the area that should be the biggest concern for Derek McInnes.
James Maddison
The on-loan Norwich midfielder has been magnificent so far the Dons and has far exceeded all expectations of him when he first signed.
He is due to return to his parent club when the window opens and Canaries boss Alex Neil is reportedly impressed with the youngsters progress.
Norwich paid Coventry £2.5million to sign Maddison in February – a fee that could rise to £6million – and they will be keen to see a fast return on their investment.
Convincing Neil to allow Madisson a further six months to progress at Pittodrie could well be the biggest transfer move Derek McInnes could make and would be key to any potential title challenge.
Speaking in September after the youngster thumped in a winning free-kick against Rangers, Neil said: “He will be a top-quality player, unfortunately at the moment I’ve still got Wes Hoolahan who has got a little bit more left in him and the likes of Alex Pritchard and Steven Naismith as well, so I couldn’t guarantee James minutes.”
Of course, Neil’s future at Norwich remains in the balance after a stuff start to the season but at least there is still hope!
Full backs
With Ryan Jack out at the start of the season, Graeme Shinnie was pulled away from his natural left-back position to fill in. Andrew Considine has performed well on the left as a makeshift full back in the past but he is far more suited to the centre.
On the other side of the pitch, Shay Logan will be one of the first names on Derek McInnes’ team sheet but if he suffers an injury, who is there to replace him?
Ross County captain Paul Quinn spent a brief period with the Dons in 2015 before returning to his previous club in the January window. Since his departure, Derek McInnes has been left without a strong second choice right back and he could look again when the window opens to address that.
Contracts
The old adage goes that a tying down your best players to new contracts is as good as any new signing.
Andrew Considine, Ash Taylor, Peter Pawlett, Cammy Smith, Scott Wright, Niall McGinn, Lawrence Shankland, Joe Nuttall and captain Ryan Jack could all leave the club in the summer.
Those are some of the club’s top names and McInnes would do well to use the window to finalise new deals for a number of them.
