Jim Goodwin has revealed Aberdeen are hoping to tie up a deal for Benfica striker Luis Lopes in the days ahead - sizing the Dons' transfer target up against Celtic star Jota.
The Pittodrie side are locked in talks with the Portuguese team to land the 22-year-old striker and the deal is near completion. Goodwin reckons he has all the credentials to emulate Jota who also arrived in Scotland from the Portuguese giants. He said: “If we manage to get a deal for Lopez over the line it will give us another good attacking option. He will score goals. He’s had a really good education with Benfica. He’s only a year younger than Jota at Celtic – and I’m not for one minute comparing him to Jota – but he’s had a similar education.”
Meanwhile Goodwin insists Lewis Ferguson can prove fortune favours the brave after making a dream move to Bologna. The Aberdeen boss praised the Scotland midfielder for landing a deal with the Serie A side and backed him to follow in the success of Aaron Hickey and Liam Henderson.
As the 22-year-old completed his £3million switch to the Italians, Goodwin admits it’s part of a growing trend of Scots youngster’s being prepared to broaden their horizons.
He said: “It’s a very brave move for Lewis. I admire him for that. There’s a lot of young lads out there that lack the courage to move away from home where there is a different language and different culture.
“I give him a big pat on the back. It’s something I always wanted to try to do as a player myself.
“I tried to get to Greece one year, tried to get to Austria and even as far as Australia. I feel at that young age, when you’re a single man, the opportunities out there to travel are far easier.
“It’ll be a brilliant move for Lewis. I said ‘you go and give it your best shot. If you don’t fancy it after 12 months you can always come back home’.
“That would be the advice I would give to any young player at the moment. It is a big world out there and to go and learn a different language and play a different style of football would be brilliant for Lewis’ career because it would get him used to playing a different style of football, hopefully help him to continue his development.
“The young boy Hickey had great success out there and got his move back to the Premier League. Young Henderson who was at Celtic has been very successful out there as well.
“There’s no reason Lewis can’t have similar success.”
The Pittodrie side face Dumbarton tonight in a second League Cup group tie having already beaten Peterhead and Goodwin is adamant his summer rebuild has brought a freshness into his squad.
He said: “Of the playing squad available when I arrived in February, 15 of those players including Ferguson and Calvin Ramsay have now gone.
“We’ve only signed six so we still need another three or four. I’ve let 15 go, that doesn’t mean I want to bring 15 in, but the six we’ve managed to do, everyone who’s been to the games can see what they’re going to bring. We’ve got a real freshness now about the group. The recruitment team and level of detail we’ve gone into in trying to sign these players since February – a lot of hard work goes into it.”
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