Bojan Miovski has made a lightning start to life at Aberdeen, with his winning goal against Dundee United last night his 12th of the season in all competitions.
Despite only joining the Reds last summer, the 23-year old is now reportedly a target of Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims, who are believed to be willing to fork out £4million for the Macedonian international's services - eight times more than they shelled out only months ago. And whilst no one wants to become a selling club in football parlance, banking that kind of money would be seen as a brilliant piece of business for Jim Goodwin and Aberdeen, and would also further highlight the success of the new scouting approach that the Dons have adopted.
For years Aberdeen fans had become accustomed to seeing new signings arrive from the lower leagues in England or on loan from Premier League clubs, with varying degrees of success. James Maddison and Danny Ward were big hits in their short stints in the North East, whilst on the other hand the likes of James Wilson, Sean Longstaff and Teddy Jenks all struggled to a make the grade. But with the arrival of Head of Recruitment Darren Mowbray last year, the Pittodrie club have totally revamped their scouting network, and are already starting to bear the fruits of their labour. Bojan Miovski and Albanian midfielder Ylber Ramadani were both signed from Hungarian side MTK Budapest. Like Miovski, 26-year old Ramadani has also adapted to the intense nature of the Scottish Premiership well, and has already became a firm favourite with the Red Army.
The club also look to have found another gem in Cape Verde international Luis 'Duk' Lopes, who arrived from Benfica B for just over £400,000. The 22-year old striker has netted six goals in 13 appearances this season and has formed a lethal strike partnership with Miovski to help the Dons climb to third in the Premiership and also reach the semi finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
Although he has lost his place in the starting XI in recent weeks, Dutch winger Vicente Besuijen has also been a solid investment for the club after making the switch from ADO Den Haag last January for a similar fee, as Mowbray and his scouting team continue to scour the continent for young hungry players at a bargain price.
Aberdeen's ability to spend in the transfer market has of course been helped with the bumper sales of Calvin Ramsay and Lewis Ferguson to Liverpool and Bologna respectively, but the club have clearly spent time putting together their new approach to recruitment which was previously outlined by chairman Dave Cormack even before Jim Goodwin took the reins as manager.
Only three months ago Goodwin admitted that Miovski is already attracting the interest of several clubs, and eventually the Dons may find it difficult to keep a hold of the Macedonian who may want to move on and prove himself at a higher level. But should that day arrive it will be good business for all parties, with Miovski improving his standing in the game and the club making a remarkable profit on a player that very few had even heard of before he came through the doors at Cormack Park.
The way Aberdeen have been able to think outside the box with their new scouting plan is refreshing and is something that has really got the fanbase onside. And if they can continue to uncover hidden stars like Miovski, Duk and Ramadani, then the club could be set for a successful period both on and off the pitch.
