Latest Aberdeen news from final week of January transfer window

Thursday brought confirmation of Aberdeen’s fifth winter window capture after they completed a permanent deal for Nigerian defensive midfielder Afeez Aremu from Kaiserslautern, while Dons midfielder Dante Polvara joined St Louis City on Friday.

Further activity is expected at the club before the window closes at 11pm on Monday, February 2, and you can keep up to date with all the latest news, and transfer activity from Pittodrie here.

From signings to departures, and perhaps a managerial appointment, Dons sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel has plenty to keep himself busy and you can follow the latest Aberdeen updates in our live blog.

9.00pm 31/01/26

Schalke move for Aouchiche

Schalke are pushing to sign Aberdeen loan midfielder Adil Aouchiche before the transfer window closes on Monday.

The 2. Bundesliga side are in talks with Sunderland over a permanent deal for the 23-year-old, according to reports in Germany.

Aouchiche joined the Dons on a season-long loan in July with Dons holding an option to buy the Frenchman for a club record fee of £1.5million.

The midfielder was not in the Aberdeen squad for Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Kilmarnock.

8.00pm 31/01/26

Leven fuming with players after poor display at Rugby Park

Aberdeen interim boss Peter Leven admitted his players were outfought by Kilmarnock after falling to a 3-0 defeat in Ayrshire.

The Rugby Park side were without a win in 17 games but ran out comfortable winners against the Dons.

Leven said: “I just thought they wanted it more than us, and that’s really hard for me to say as interim manager of Aberdeen Football Club.

“It is a tough one to swallow.

“We didn’t match their intensity or match their battle.”

Read more of Peter Leven’s post-match interview here. 

6.30pm 31/01/26

A day to forget for Aberdeen

Aberdeen were unable to make it three wins on the spin as they slumped to defeat against a Kilmarnock side who claimed a first win in 17 Premiership games.

Goals from Brad Lyons, Bruce Anderson and Tyreece John-Jules inflicted the damage on a shellshocked Dons side who ended the game with 10 men after captain Graeme Shinnie was sent off.

You can read Sean Wallace’s analysis of the 3-0 defeat, which he described as “a shambolic display” here.  

10.00am 31/01/26

Devlin back in the groove

Nicky Devlin spoke to the press ahead of today’s trip to Kilmarnock and had some interesting things to say about reverting back to his favoured right-back role.

The Scotland international was deployed in a three-man defence towards the end of Jimmy Thelin’s time in charge of the Reds.

But interim boss Peter Leven has opted to deploy Devlin at right-back – and the 32-year-old is enjoying being back in his comfort zone.

He said: “Right back is where I’m more comfortable.

“This season in the spell when I was playing in the centre I knew that I was making mistakes.

“And a lot of the times they were mistakes that were costing us points and goals in games.

“Being in a more familiar position, I am much happier going into games as I know that role more than the more central one.”

You can read the full interview with Devlin where he also discusses the competition at right-back with Dylan Lobban and Alexander Jensen here.

8.45am 31/01/26

Decision time for Leven

Aberdeen interim boss Peter Leven has a big call to make when the Dons head to Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock today.

Will he stick with Dimitar Mitov between the sticks or will new signing Per Kristian Bråtveit be handed his debut?

The Dons interim boss wasn’t giving much away in his pre-match press conference, other than to admit both goalkeepers are in a battle for the No. 1 spot.

He said: “Hinchy (Craig Hinchliffe, goalkeeper coach) said to them that they are now going to fight for that position.

“Per has done well this week so he’ll be in the squad.

5.19pm 30/01/26

Dante Polvara bids farewell to Aberdeen and Red Army

It’s official – Aberdeen have confirmed they’ve struck a deal to sell US midfielder Dante Polvara to St Louis City in his homeland.

In a goodbye message to the club and Red Army, Polvara has said the Dons made him a “good offer” to stay at Pittodrie, as well as revealing there were overtures from a Scottish rival – an approach he knocked back due to his loyalties to Aberdeen.

1.46pm 30/01/26

That’s the press conference taken care of…

Aberdeen’s pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Rugby Park is done and dusted, with Nicky Devlin the Dons player who spoke to the media.

My colleague Sean Wallace will have further thoughts from Leven, and a piece with right-back Devlin, to come later on Friday, so keep your eyes peeled.

1.23pm 30/01/26

Aberdeen team news for Kilmarnock, including Liam Morrison latest

Finally, in the non-embargoed section of the press conference, Leven confirms last week’s loan addition from Queens Park Rangers, centre-back Liam Morrison, WILL be in the squad (for the first time) for the Kilmarnock game.

He might start at centre-half, with Jack Milne suspended following his red card v Livingston.

On Morrison, Leven says: “He’s trained well this week. A full week’s training, so he’ll be in the squad at the weekend.”

This is the only thing of note in Leven’s team news.

1.22pm 30/01/26

Aberdeen transfer ‘update’

After straying from his usual approach at the last Aberdeen pre-match press conference and predicting signings, Leven reverts to his “I know nothing” stance when asked how much further business fans should expect before Monday’s late-night deadline.

He doesn’t rule anything out, though.

He said: “(I’m the) wrong guy to ask that.

“Lutz and the recruitment team are working hard in the background. They are feeding back little bits and that, but there’s still three days to go, so we’ll see what happens.”

1.22pm 30/01/26

Will Afeez Aremu make Aberdeen debut?

Aberdeen are still waiting for clearance for new defensive midfielder Afeez Aremu to play a part at Rugby Park. “We’re waiting for the VISA, so we don’t know about that yet,” Leven says.

Whether he can play or not, the interim manager thinks the signing from German Bundesliga 2 Kaiserslautern will be an asset to Aberdeen, adding: “He came in yesterday and I took him out did a one-to-one with him, had a chat with him.

“He’ll be a physical presence in there, an experienced player and a welcome addition.”

1.21pm 30/01/26

Leven’s thoughts on Kilmarnock

Next up are Leven’s thoughts on Saturday opponents Kilmarnock.

He is more concerned about Aberdeen’s execution, saying: “Tough game. Tough place to go – but it’s all about what we do. Application, attitude.

“We need to start fast, start well and build from last weekend.

“We’re in a good place right now, so we need to build momentum.”

1.20pm 30/01/26

Have Aberdeen turned a corner?

Peter Leven has arrived in the press room, and after a brief delay due to a coughing fit among the assembled press, we start with the question of whether last weekend’s 6-2 victory over Livingston shows Aberdeen have ‘”turned a corner”?

Leven said: “I hope so. It was a good victory and performance as well.

“But we can’t stand still.

“We need to keep working on things we can improve on to get better.”

1.12pm 30/01/26

Aberdeen training pictures

Before we get going, some SNS pictures have dropped from this morning’s Aberdeen training at Cormack Park.

1.03pm 30/01/26

Aberdeen’s presser starting soon

Now in position at Cormack Park ahead of Aberdeen’s 1.15pm pre-match press conference in the build up to Saturday’s league clash at Kilmarnock.

12.20pm 30/01/2026

Joe Harper: Peter Leven must remain under new Aberdeen manager

Under an hour until Peter Leven meets the media for his pre-Kilmarnock press conference.

It remains unclear how long Leven will remain in charge at Aberdeen, with the club moving ever closer to appointing a new permanent manager.

However, this morning, our columnist Joe Harper, in his latest piece, argued Leven – currently in his third stint as caretaker – must be retained as part of the next boss’ set-up.

The legendary Aberdeen goalscorer has said of Leven, who led the Reds to a 6-2 victory over Livingston at Pittodrie last weekend: “In the space of a few games, he has got the team pressing well, working hard, scoring goals and playing entertaining football.”

Harper added: “Dons sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel has spoken of his desire to have someone with knowledge of Scottish football in the dugout.

“If the next manager doesn’t have that then he would have the perfect guy alongside him to give him the insight he would need in Peter.”

9.40am 30/01/2026

Will new Aberdeen loanees’ Scotland World Cup ambitions help the Dons?

We’ll be hearing from Aberdeen interim manager Peter Leven at Cormack Park later on, but before we do, he made an interesting point about how the Dons’ January loan market dealings and Scotland’s upcoming World Cup campaign intersect, and how it can boost the Reds.

Queens Park Rangers centre-back Liam Morrison, set to make his debut at Killie tomorrow, has already spoken about coming to Aberdeen to get more game-time and to make a charge for Steve Clarke’s squad for this summer’s tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Another Scot, creative midfielder Lyall Cameron, has come in on loan from Premiership rivals Rangers and impressed so far – and he, too, will harbour ambitions of breaking into the Scotland setup.

Referencing Morrison, Leven – who is trying to lift Aberdeen out of the bottom six at present – thinks extra motivation for players to perform can only be good for the Dons, saying: “He wants to come to Aberdeen and try to catch the eye of the Scotland manager.

“He’s been very clear that the World Cup is something on his radar.

“I think coming here will help him have a chance of that.

“It puts him in front of Steve Clarke so why not have that ambition?

“You need that sort of attitude.

“You want players who back themselves, who are going to give everything.

“A player who has the belief that he can get in the Scotland squad and can be a top player for Aberdeen.”

Alongside new boys Morrison and Cameron, Aberdeen also have previous Scotland caps Kevin Nisbet and Nicky Devlin on their books, and Leven added: “Lyall should be the same – he’s done well in his league, he’s been in the Under-21s.

“So one hundred percent he should be aiming for the World Cup.

“Liam, Lyall, Kevin Nisbet, Jack Milne and young Mitchel Frame – why not?”

9.35am 30/01/2026

Get your Aberdeen press conference updates HERE today

Good morning – Ryan Cryle here to man the Aberdeen FC news live blog on Friday as Paul Third takes a well-earned day off.

I’ll be posting my usual pre-match press conference updates here today.

The Dons presser – ahead of Saturday’s Premiership trip to Kilmarnock – is at 1.15pm.

Most of my usual Cormack Park pre-amble is already covered below BUT there are a couple of things to catch you up on…

5.31pm 29/01/2026

‘Nasty’ defensive midfielder Aremu on why he has joined Aberdeen

In an interview, defensive midfielder Afeez Aremu, detailed why proximity to the English Premier League, a European football “dream” and Dons sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel were all key to him joining Aberdeen.

Aremu also confirmed his “aggressive” and “nasty” style of play (something the Reds have sorely been needing, Dons fans?), but insisted there are more strings to his bow.

Read the interview with Aremu here.

4.02pm 29/01/2026

Aremu completes move to Aberdeen

It’s official, Afeez Aremu is the fifth Aberdeen signing of the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal with the Donssubject to visa formalities and international clearance.

The Nigerian international defensive midfielder follows Lyall Cameron, Liam Morrison, Toyosi Olusanya, and Per Kristian Bratveit in moving to Pittodrie this month.

Dons sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel is delighted to have the combative midfielder on board.

He said: “Afeez is going to bring a real physical edge to the squad, something which I think we have been looking for.

“He’s strong, robust and comes with good experience in a competitive environment in Germany.

“He also is tactically aware so combined with all his athletic attributes we believe he can adapt well to the intensity of the Scottish game and make a real impact.”

3.30pm 29/01/2026

Olusanya’s debt to former Dons boss

Still waiting for some deals to be confirmed from the Dons, but new loan striker Toyosi Olusanya, who joined the club last week on loan from Houston Dynamo, has revealed the former Aberdeen manager he owes a debt of gratitude to.

Read about who took a gamble on Olusanya when was plying his trade at non-league level.

9.33am 29/01/2026

Yengi joins Cerezo Osaka

Kusini Yengi is off to Japan after his loan move to J League side Cerezo Osaka was ratified.

The Dons have confirmed the 27-year-old, who joined from Portsmouth on a free transfer in the summer, will spend the rest of this season on loan to the Japanese outfit.

Yengi has had a tough time of it in Scotland this season, scoring just one goal in 10 appearances.

However, the Australian international will have company while he is in Asia with the striker’s younger brother Tete, also off to Japan.

The Livi attacker has joined FC Machida Zelvia on loan until June 30.

8.51am 29/01/2026

Olusanya and Houston was a mismatch

Staying on the topic of strikers, Ryan Cryle has been investigating what went wrong in the MLS for Toyosi Olusanya.

The former St Mirren striker earned a move to Houston Dynamo following some impressive performances from his time in Paisley but struggled to make an impact in the US.

That has led to him joining Doncaster Rovers in the first half of the season before returning to Scotland last week when he joined the Dons on loan for the rest of the campaign.

You can read what Ryan gleaned from his chat with Rudy Segura from Bayou City Soccer about why things didn’t work out for Olusanya at Houston.

8.01am 29/01/2026

Former Don lands coaching role in New Zealand

There has been some AFC-related news overnight, however, with former Aberdeen striker Rory Fallon landing a new role as head coach of the Auckland FC reserves.

Former All Whites international attacker Fallon, who led the line for the Dons from 2011 to 2013, takes charge of the team ahead of their season, which kicks off on March 21.

Fallon, who replaces Luke Casserly in the role, said: “I’m excited about this new chapter and to work with the young talent this Auckland FC reserve squad has amassed.

“Luke has done a great job, and I am inheriting an excellent squad and have some good ties with many of the staff here.

“It’s great to see the chemistry and respect these lads have for each other, and we’re going to try and capitalise on that to start off the season strong.”

Fallon got the goal which secured qualification for New Zealand for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and played in all his country’s group matches, where they were undefeated.

Rory brings credibility, experience, and a genuine commitment to shaping the next generation of talent…” Auckland FC’s Terry McFlynn on Rory Fallon

Terry McFlynn, director of football for Auckland, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Rory Fallon to the club.

“Rory has competed at the very highest level in Europe and will forever be remembered for scoring the goal that took the All Whites to the World Cup, moments like that define leaders.

“Beyond his playing career, his years of coaching and passion for developing young players for professional leagues and national teams make him an outstanding appointment.

“Rory brings credibility, experience, and a genuine commitment to shaping the next generation of talent, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him on this journey with us.”

7.53am 29/01/2026

Confirmation Day at Pittodrie?

Morning and welcome to the Thursday edition of the Aberdeen FC transfer blog.

We’re anticipating some transfer movement at Pittodrie today as the club waits for the green light to make some announcements on players coming in and out of Pittodrie.

Afeez Aremu’s work permit is all that is holding up his move from FC Kaiserslautern to the Dons and the club is working hard to get this one over the line.

In terms of departures, Dante Polvara’s return to the United States is expected to go through imminently, as are loan moves for Kusini Yengi and Peter Ambrose to Japan and Hungary respectively.

2.51pm 28/01/2026

Livingston contact SFA over alleged racism at Pittodrie

In non-transfer news, Livingston boss David Martindale has confirmed Livi have written to the SFA about the alleged racism towards striker Jeremy Bokila at Pittodrie on Saturday.

The Dons have denied the allegation which was made following the 6-2 defeat in which Bokila and Dons defender Jack Milne were both sent-off following an off-the-ball incident.

Read the latest from the Livi boss about the incident here. 

1.23pm 28/01/2026

Loan watch

Away from Pittodrie, young Dons striker Alfie Bavidge is having a fun time on loan at Caley Thistle this season.

Bavidge scored the only goal of the game for the League One side as they secured their place in the semi-final of the KDM Evolution Trophy against Stenhousemuir on Tuesday.

With 16 goals in 15 starts for Caley Jags, Bavidge is now out in front as the leading scorer for his loan club.

Bavidge’s exploits have been noted by Dons as he gears up for a Challenge Cup semi-final and the League One title race in the second half of the season.

12.47pm 28/01/2026

The Frame effect

It’s been a quieter day following the excitement surrounding Aremu on Tuesday, but that hasn’t stopped us looking at the window so far for Aberdeen.

My colleague Sean Wallace has also been looking at the impact Mitchel Frame has madesince ending his long wait to make his first team debut against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup.

It’s fair to say the young full back’s displays so far have raised a few eyebrows among the Aberdeen support who have rightly pondered, given how well he has performed, why it took so long to get him into the team.

One man who certainly seems to be reaping the rewards is winger Topi Keskinen, who has also had two of his best displays of the season in the last two matches.

8.43am 28/01/2026

Could Kjartan Mar Kjartansson go out on loan?

We may yet see another player head out on loan before the window closes with Dons interim boss Peter Leven not ruling out the chance for Kjartan Mar Kjartansson to gain some much needed game time elsewhere.

The Icelandic teenager has struggled for competitive minutes since arriving in the summer and has not been in the squad since starting in the 2-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox.

Aberdeen have high hopes for the player, who was highly rated in his homeland, and thefinal decision on whether a loan would help him adapt to Scotland will lie with sporting direction Lutz Pfannenstiel.

8.18am 28/01/2026

Confirmation of three departures to come

In addition to the official announcement of the new arrival we’re still waiting for confirmation of three exits from the club.

Dante Polvara is heading back to the United States to join St Louis City for a fee in the region of £250,000. As we told you yesterday, those funds have already been reinvested in the Aremu deal.

There are a couple of loan deals to be signed off too with Kusini Yengi’s move to Japanese club Cerezo Osaka and Peter Ambrose’s return to Hungary with DVTK still to be completed.

Both moves have been sanctioned and will be agreed once the relevant visas and paperwork are in place for the strikers.

7.54am 28/01/2026

The lowdown on Afeez Aremu

Morning, and welcome to Wednesday’s edition of the Aberdeen transfer blog.

The 11pm deadline on Monday is now firmly in sight and there’s still much to be keeping an eye out for at Pittodrie.

But undoubtedly the big news of the week so far came on Tuesday when the club agreed a deal to sign midfielder Afeez Aremu from Kaiserslautern.

The formalities will be completed later this week but Aremu is a Don.

We caught up with ESPN commentator Derek Rae to find out what Aberdeen’s new player will bring to the side.

Having nicknamed the Nigerian as a ‘vacuum-cleaner type’ player, you can find out exactly what Derek means by that statement here.  

2.45pm 27/01/2026

Dante Polvara nears Aberdeen exit

We should point out the fee generated by the sale of Dante Polvara to St Louis City is covering the cost of the Aremu transfer.

Polvara is heading back to the United States after the Dons agreed a deal with the MLS club before moving quickly to replace the departing American.

That’s another deal which is nearing conclusion.

2.35pm 27/01/2026

Aremu agrees Dons move

An update on the news from earlier about Aberdeen’s move for defensive midfielder Afeez Aremu, as we’re hearing this deal is nearly done.

Reports of the deal for the FC Kaiserslautern player have proved wide of the mark as Aremu is moving to Scotland on a permanent deal after the Dons agreed a fee in the region of £250,000 for the Nigerian.

Official confirmation of the transfer is expected later this week once the formalities have been completed but 26 year-old will be the fifth new arrival of the January window at Pittodrie.

2.08pm 27/01/2026

Dark Blue take on Cameron and Graham

Dundee have featured in Aberdeen’s transfer business this month with the Dons signing former Dark Blues midfielder Lyall Cameron on loan from Rangers.

Dee central defender Luke Graham has also become a prized asset at Dens Park with the Dons, Hearts and clubs in England all linked with the young Scot.

We caught up with Dundee technical director Gordon Strachan for the lowdown on Cameron, who he has known since the player was 15, as well as his take on their much-admired defender Graham.

12.35pm 27/01/2026

New date for Dons’ trip to Motherwell next month

Some non-transfer news to report as Aberdeen’s trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership has been delayed 24 hours to Sunday February 15 with a 2.30pm kick-off.

The original tie was due to be played on Valentine’s Day but both clubs have agreed to move the game to allow the players more time to rest and recover.

Motherwell have explained the decision to their fans.

A statement read: “We appreciate that Sunday matches are not appreciated by all supporters, and for those that will be inconvenienced by this change, we apologise.

“But, with five games being played in a small timeframe, including three away matches, one of which is a night-time kick-off which will involve overnight travel, we want to allow the players more time to recover and prepare between games.”

The Dons host the Steelmen in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, February 7 before travelling to Dundee United on league duty on Wednesday, February 11.

11.12am 27/01/2026

Dons weighing up move for Nigerian midfielder

Remember that defensive midfielder who was top of the priorities this month?

Well, FC Kaiserslautern defensive midfielder Afeez Aremu has emerged as a potential option for the Dons.

Reports in Germany claim the are aiming to bring the player to Pittodrie before Monday’s deadline.

The 26 year-old Nigerian is out of contract in the summer and his club is looking to recoup some of the £350,000 they paid for him three years ago.

There has been interest from other countries but Aberdeen have emerged as the leading contenders to sign the player.

9.56am 27/01/2026

Latest from loan Don Ryan Duncan

Ryan Duncan has plenty to aim for as he enters the final months of his contract with the Dons.

The winger, who is on loan at Ross County in the Championship, came off the bench to provide the assist for the only goal of the game as his side beat Airdrie 1-0 at the weekend.

A big second half of the season awaits the Staggies, and Duncan, with the attacker hoping to show what he can do by helping County pull away from the relegation zone in the second tier.

The 22 year-old has been talking about his time in Dingwall and his hopes for the rest of the campaign. 

9.56am 27/01/2026

Left back jersey is Frame’s to lose

One position the Dons are not looking to strengthen in the final week of the window is left back.

It has been an area where several players have been tried. Alexander Jensen, Graeme Shinnie, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Nicky Devlin, Gavin Molloy and Topi Keskinen have been deployed there this term.

Meanwhile, Mitchel Frame has had to be patient for his chance in the first team following his move from Celtic in the summer, but there is no denying the 20 year-old has taken his chance in the last week.

It’s played two, won two for the Scotland under-21 international, and his accomplished displays against Raith Rovers and Livingston have drawn praise from interim boss Peter Leven who says the jersey is now Frame’s to lose.

7.42am 27/01/2026

Per Kristian Bratveit on his Dons move

New Aberdeen goalkeeper Per Kristian Bratveit has also been talking about his move to the Dons.

The Norwegian international shotstopper, who was a free agent, joined the Dons in an 18-month deal on Friday evening and will provide competition to Dimitar Mitov following Nick Suman’s ankle injury in training.

Bratveit turned to Aberdeen midfielder Sivert Heltne Nilsen, who he labelled a ‘crazy guy’ for the lowdown on the Dons and says the Norewegian sold him on a move to Scotland.

7.35am 27/01/2026

Karlsson: ‘Scotland was a mismatch’

Morning, and welcome back to our Aberdeen live blog.

While we wait for movement on the manager hunt, and the transfer front, Jesper Karlsson has been reflecting on his time at Pittodrie and his move back to the Netherlands after joining Utrecht on loan.

The Bologna winger’s loan with the Dons was cut short on Thursday as he was recalled by his parent club before being sent to Utrecht.

Swedish international Karlsson enjoyed the chance to play regularly with the Dons but felt his qualities were not suited to the Scottish game – nor have they been for Italian football, for that matter.

He said: “It wasn’t what I was hoping for in Italy and Scotland. You don’t get many chances in Italy. Scotland was a mismatch, but at least I got some minutes there.”

Karlsson made his Eredivisie return on Sunday by playing more than an hour of Utrecht’s 1-0 defeat by Sparta Rotterdam, but is ineligible for his club’s final Europa League tie against Celtic on Thursday.

He said: “Training felt good. But I was a bit surprised that I played.

“Self-confidence is never a problem for me. But we should have won. We played the first half the way we wanted. I might have gotten a yellow card to stop that attack they scored from.

“We have to be at our best in the upcoming tough matches. I’m going to give everything I can for Utrecht; there’s plenty of quality. But we do need goals.”

2.35pm 26/01/2026

Aberdeen manager hunt progressing

It’s not just players the Dons are in the market for, of course, as a new manager remains a priority.

Three weeks have passed since Jimmy Thelin was dismissed by the club.

The Swede’s departure has left Lutz Pfannenstiel spinning recruitment plates aplenty as he wheels and deals in the transfer market while at the same time working his way through an extensive list of candidates.

The good news is that Pfannenstiel has a shortlist and the club is planning initial chats with potential candidates.

But it seems likely interim manager Peter Leven will continue in the dugout for this weekend’s trip to Kilmarnock, and in all likelihood the visit of Celtic to Pittodrie next midweek.

My colleague Sean Wallace had a chat with former Celtic boss John Barnes who believes the Dons need a manager with a European pedigree to replace Thelin.

1.47pm 26/01/2026

The Findlay Marshall dilemma

One player who has been the subject of much debate for weeks is young Don Findlay Marshall.

The 19 year-old has spent the season on loan at Arbroath and it’s fair to say life in the Championship has been a breeze for the midfielder.

He has been a major part of the Red Lichties’ excellent season so far, scoring 11 goals and contributing three assists in 31 appearances for the Gayfield outfit.

That sort of return is enough for anyone to take notice, but as he enters the final six months of his contract at Pittodrie it’s unclear where his future lies.

Marshall has been used as No.10 for Arbroath but he can play wide right. If the Dons are looking for more width following Jesper Karlsson’s departure then the teenager could be an option.

Marshall spoke to the Press and Journal about his time with Arbroath, and how he hoped it would help him breakthrough to the Aberdeen first team, in November.

10.45am 26/01/2026

Dante Polvara heading for Dons exit

More departures are imminent before the window closes.

Dante Polvara, who is in the final six months of his contract with the club, is on the verge of securing a return the United States.

St Louis City, where Dons sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel plied his trade prior to moving to Scotland, are closing in on a deal for the American midfielder.

Polvara, who joined the Dons from college in the US, had been in talks with Aberdeen about an extension while Hibernian had also been linked with a move for the player.

But he is reportedly set on going back to the US.

We’re also still waiting on official confirmation of Kusini Yengi’s loan move to Japan.

The Australian striker, who has struggled for game time since joining the club from Portsmouth last summer, has agreed a loan move to Cerezo Osaka.

You can add Peter Ambrose to that list too.

The Nigerian striker is set to join DVTK in Hungary on loan but the move has been held up due to red tape.

Then there’s the forgotten man Ante Palaversa. The Croat has been nowhere near the first-team squad for a while and has been told he can find another club.

It’s not all exits, though. The Dons are still looking to add to their ranks too with a central midfielder top of the list of priorities at Pittodrie.

There has been a Ylber Ramadani-sized hole in the Dons’ midfield since the summer of 2023 and the club wants to fill it before the window closes if they can.

10am 26/01/2027

Deals done so far – and more to come?

We should probably start with the ins and outs at the Dons so far this month.

There are four new faces at Pittodrie so far this month.

Lyall Cameron was first in the door when he joined the club on loan from Rangers for the rest of the season.

The former Dundee midfielder has made a solid start to his Aberdeen scorer with the Dons, winning both of their games since he arrived. Keep that up and the fans will be thrilled.

Liam Morrison is also on board after joining the club last week from Queens Park Rangers on loan until the summer.

A former Celtic academy prospect who left Scotland to join the youth set-up at Bayern Munich, central defender Morrison hopes he can use his time at Pittodrie to secure his place in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the World Cup finals this summer.

New arrival No.3 is Toyosi Olusanya. The former St Mirren striker is back in Scotland after joining Aberdeen on loan from Houston Dynamo.

He earned a move to the MLS last season but has struggled since leaving the Premiership, failing to score either for Houston or at Doncaster Rovers, where he spent the first half of the season on loan.

The forward will be hoping his return to Scotland can get his career going again and after contributing an assist off the bench on his debut against Livingston on Saturday, he’s off to a promising start.

The latest recruit is Per Kristian Bratveit. The 29 year-old Norwegian goalkeeper has put pen to paper on an 18-month deal and will provide competition for Dimitar Mitov.

The Dons moved quickly to bring in the shotstopper, who is awaiting international clearance, after Nick Suman suffered an ankle injury in training.

Who’s gone?

Jesper Karlsson is the headline exit so far. The Swede, whose arrival on loan at Pittodrie from Bologna was greeted with huge fanfare, was recalled last week by the Serie A side.

He has since moved to the Netherlands on another loan after joining Utrecht for the second half of the campaign.

Alfie Dorrington was the first Aberdeen player to leave the club this month after being recalled from his loan spell by Tottenham Hotspur once the window opened.

The Englishman, who was a member of the Scottish Cup-winning squad last season, has struggled for game time this term and his parent club plan on sending him out again to another club to gain experience.

Vicente Besuijen has followed after returning to the Netherlands with Emmen on loan for the rest of the season.

Besuijen will be a free agent when his loan, the fourth of his four-year spell at Pittodrie, ends in the summer.

Ester Sokler is now a Radnicki player after the Serbian club made his loan deal permanent.

The former Dons striker scored 12 goals in 72 appearances for Aberdeen with his last goal coming in the 2-2 draw against FCSB in the Europa League play-off first leg at the start of the season.

[Source: Press and Journal]