Lyall Cameron confident he can help Aberdeen improve after making loan move from Rangers

Aberdeen have confirmed the loan signing of Lyall Cameron from rivals Rangers for the rest of the season – with the midfielder’s debut likely to come in Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers at Pittodrie.

The Dons battled with Rangers to sign Cameron, now 23, at the end of last season, following an impressive campaign for Dundee and with his Dens Park contract expiring.

Aberdeen, then managed by Jimmy Thelin, felt they were close to sealing a deal to bring Cameron to Pittodrie, only to be priced out by the higher wages on offer at Ibrox.

But they have now got their man after Cameron was deemed surplus to requirements by Gers boss Danny Rohl – albeit only for the remainder of the campaign it would seem.

Aberdeen’s official announcement makes no mention of an option to buy Cameron permanently from Rangers should he impress.

Cameron is convinced he can help Aberdeen improve amid a poor campaign, where they are eighth in the Premiership, after becoming their first January transfer window signing.

“I’m delighted it’s all been sorted out,” Cameron said.

“I wanted to stay in Scotland and to join Aberdeen. This is a good opportunity for me to remind people what I can do in this league, and I believe I can help the team.

“My aim is to play as many games as I can, help the team and just play football again.

“I can bring energy. I can bring passion and hopefully I can also bring some quality and some goals.

“I hope I can get the fans off their seats. I like to be positive and get forward with the ball.

“There is always a good atmosphere at Pittodrie. I know the fans will be right behind the team on Sunday. I will work as hard as I can during my time here and hopefully, we have a positive end to the season.”

Former Scotland under-21 international Cameron has made 10 outings for Rangers this season, including three starts in Champions League qualifying – scoring in a 2-1 away loss at Czechia’s Viktoria Plzen.

In 2024/25, in his final campaign for Dundee, Cameron scored or assisted 23 goals (14/nine) in 41 outings to sweep the board at his former club’s annual awards.

Pfannenstiel: Cameron commitment to Aberdeen convinced us to get deal done during busy January

It is anticipated Aberdeen will bring in three or four new faces this months, with up to six exits also expected.

The Press and Journal revealed on Friday, while number eight-type midfielder Cameron was being lined up, the Dons’ priority positions for reinforcement this month are centre-back, central defensive midfield and striker.

Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel said of the Cameron signing: “Lyall was clear in his desire to join Aberdeen. He had interest from other clubs both in England and abroad, but he made it clear to Rangers he wanted this move to Pittodrie to happen.

“That commitment was hugely attractive to us and played a big part in convincing us to get this deal done. We believe he will have a positive influence on the team in the next few months and help us achieve our objectives between now and May.

“Work continues behind the scenes to improve but also reduce the overall squad size, which had grown beyond the optimal size.

“We invested significantly last summer, but a number of players who were expected to move on during that window ultimately remained, leaving us with close to 30 senior professionals.

“Our intention is to bring that number down during this window, while also looking to add quality in key areas of the pitch to ensure we finish the season strongly in both the league and our efforts to retain the Scottish Cup.

“I am expecting a busy couple of weeks.”

[Source: Press and Journal]