The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
McInnes expecting busy summer for transfers
Manager expects comings and goings at Pittodrie
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes is expecting this summer to be one of his busiest transfer windows since taking charge at Pittodrie.
Peter Pawlett and Niall McGinn are set to leave at the end of the season, while the future of out-of-contract Ash Taylor, Cammy Smith, Lawrence Shankland, Neil Alexander, Aaron Lennox and Ryan Jack is unclear.
McInnes was shortlisted for the PFA Scotland manager of the year award yesterday alongside Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers, Alan Archibald of Partick Thistle and Morton’s Jim Duffy.
He was recognised for guiding the Dons to two cup finals this season and to within one victory of a second-place finish for the third season on the trot.
But the Aberdeen manager is already planning ahead for next term and expects plenty of comings and goings at Pittodrie this summer, with Caley Thistle midfielder Greg Tansey having already signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Dons.
He said: “This will probably be the busiest summer since the first summer when I came to the club.
“That is not the way we want it but sometimes that is required.
“As a club we have enjoyed steady consistency and high levels of performance.
“That will have allowed a lot of clubs to look at our players and they now have different options.
“It is going to be a busy time, both in and out.
“But I am confident we are recruiting from a position of strength.”
He added: “We are a good club with good players.
“We can offer a lot, from European football to a chance to play in cup finals.
“Hopefully, we will bring in some good additions and I am very confident we will do that.”
The Dons, beaten 2-0 by St Johnstone last weekend, travel to Edinburgh to face Hearts on Sunday knowing a win would effectively seal second place.
McInnes added: “Hearts have been a bit up and down this season but at Tynecastle they start as favourites to win most of their games.
“We enjoy playing at Tynecastle. It is a good surface and we will playing in front of a big crowd.
“It is a great game for us and we are looking forward to it. We have a lot of good games post-split and it is important we try to get a few wins before the cup final.”