Jimmy Thelin has been officially appointed as Aberdeen’s new manager.
Along with his assistants Christer Persson and Emir Bajrami, the 46-year-old will depart Elfsborg in June to begin his roles at Pittodrie for the 2023–24 season. The Swede, who will depart the Allsvenskan club after six years in charge, has a contract that the Dons have not formally revealed. He had previously managed FC Ljungarum and Jönköpings Södra IF. This is going to be his first role outside of Sweden.
Peter Leven, Aberdeen’s interim manager, will serve as a member of Thelin’s backroom staff after overseeing the team through the end of the current campaign. With five games left, the Dons are five points clear of the relegation play-off spot in the Premiership and will play Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-finals on Saturday.
“I feel incredibly honoured to be joining this fantastic club and city as the new Aberdeen manager,” Thelin, whose Elfsborg squad placed second to Malmo in the championship game the previous year, said. Since this will be my first managerial position outside of Sweden, I wanted to be sure I was taking the right professional step. We took a provincial club to the highest level of competition at Elfsborg, and we plan to do the same at Aberdeen.
“I felt that the club’s personnel, amenities, and overall appearance were all really impressive.” I’m also convinced that it’s a fantastic opportunity for the club and for me because of the vision, work, and support that Dave, Alan, and Steven have provided. I can assure the supporters that we will work hard to assemble and grow a team that wins over fans’ hearts while performing well on the pitch. I’m excited to work with Peter and the team, and I hope they win this weekend at Hampden.
The Dons, who have been looking for a long-term replacement for Barry Robson since January, disclosed that they are up against strong opposition from Elfsborg to keep Thelin in Sweden, according to Chairman Dave Cormack. “We are thrilled to have Jimmy visit Pittodrie this summer,” Cormack declared. We were able to speak with a number of outstanding candidates from the UK and overseas thanks to the thorough process we conducted. We were ready to be patient and were committed to landing Jimmy as the process progressed. We certainly didn’t have it easy with Elfsborg, which is indicative of how highly regarded his six-year tenure is among them.
The board concluded that Jimmy’s playing philosophy and style, his capacity to produce top players year after year within a lucrative player trading scheme, and his track record of leading a team to the championship round all closely aligned with the initial set of requirements.
In Sweden, he’s known for his ability to assemble winning teams through methodical construction. Our goal is for this hire to serve as the Club’s cornerstone going forward and to collaborate with Jimmy and his coaching staff to build something truly exceptional at Aberdeen. We are aware that it will take some time.
“Everyone at AFC is excited to work with Jimmy starting in June, and we’re also grateful to Peter Leven for agreeing to take the team’s leadership role through the end of the season.” In the remaining games of the 23/24 season, I would ask the supporters to stand by Peter and the team.
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