BATES TAKES POLE POSITION
Frustrated star on way out of Dons as £200k Legia Warsaw deal agreed
ABERDEEN defender David Bates is set to complete a shock move to Legia Warsaw.
The Polish side have agreed a fee of just under £200,000 in a deal that will also net the Dons a sell-on.
Bates has travelled to Poland to complete the pending move.
The Scotland international had dropped down the pecking order at Pittodrie with the summer arrivals of Anthony Stewart and Liam Scales.
The 25-year-old was defended by boss Jim Goodwin for being asked to play out of position last season but it appears his career at the Reds is drawing to a close.
Bates was on the bench for last Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup win over Raith and hasn’t featured much this pre-season.
Goodwin, who has brought in nine signings this summer, used the last few minutes against Rovers to move Ross McCrorie into central defence rather than turn to Bates as he worked on a replacement for Sunday’s opener with Celtic given Scales is unable to play against his parent club.
The former Rangers player was signed by ex-Dons boss Stephen Glass last August.
But he struggled, along with the rest of the team, for the majority of the campaign.
Bates is no stranger to playing abroad given he quit Rangers for German side Hamburg in 2018.
He also had loan stints at Cercle Brugge and Sheffield Wednesday before Aberdeen took him back to Scotland.
Goodwin has wiped out the majority of the main acquisitions from the Glass era.
Winger Vicente Besuijen looks to be the main signing from the previous regime that will have a major part to play going forward. Scott Brown and Jay EmmanuelThomas went in the early weeks before Declan Gallagher and Gary Woods exited this summer.
Christian Ramirez is still there but it remains to be seen if the American will depart before the close of the window.
The striker has been linked with a move back to the MLS but that is not on the player’s immediate agenda. He was given extra time off at the end of last season and has played in most of the Premier Sports Cup games. But now the No. 9 spot and jersey has been given to new boy Bojan Miovski. Ramirez, at 31, will be keen to play regularly so the next few weeks could be key in deciding his future ahead of the World Cup in Qatar in November. Goodwin, asked about Bates and Ramirez on Sky Sports earlier in the week, said: “Christian’s had a good start to the season. He’s scored three goals in the League Cup.
“David is a little bit more frustrated than what Christian will be because he hasn’t played a minute of competitive football.
“I want to have a competitive squad and that was one of the major issues last season – not enough strength in depth.
“We relied heavily on individuals and when those individuals went out of form or got a bit tired, we weren’t able to change it up.
“That’s why we strengthened in the way that we have.
“We’ve got a number of players now in each position.
“If the guy in that position isn’t performing, then we can make a necessary change.
“I’m not going to stand in any of the players’ way. I want players who want to be here and buy into what we want to do.”