Aberdeen announce new manager before Celtic game

The majority of the focus might be on winning the league title race but one cannot forget that Celtic are still in contention for another piece of silverware this season as well. That is the Scottish Cup, as the Hoops will be taking on Aberdeen in the semi-finals of the competition at Hampden Park this weekend.

Celtic are coming off a very positive week, which saw them finally regain their advantage in the Premiership title race. They will surely be looking to continue on that trajectory when they take on Aberdeen at Hampden Park.

Going into the game, Aberdeen have made a positive announcement themselves. The club have appointed their next manager.

As reported by Aberdeen's official website, Jimmy Thelin has been appointed as the twenty-fifth permanent manager of the club. The Swede, along with assistants Christer Persson and Emir Bajrami, will leave their current roles at IF Elfsborg this summer in order to take up post at Pittodrie in early June.

Aberdeen announce new manager before Celtic game

Thelin is a highly-rated Swedish manager. He has been IF Elfsborg boss since 2018, managing them in over 200 games. That kind of longevity is rare in the modern game for managers. That being said, the 46-year-old has never managed outside of Sweden. It remains to be seen how he will adjust to the Scottish game.

Of course, Thelin won't be in the Aberdeen dugout against Celtic this weekend. But the news can certainly be a boost for their players, who might be keen to start making an impression on their next manager already.

On the other hand, it could have the opposite effect as well. It will be interesting to see how they perform between now and the end of the season, knowing that Peter Leven won't remain as manager, no matter how the campaign ends.