24 January 2022

Stephen Glass suggests more new arrivals could join Vicente Besuijen at Aberdeen

24 January 2022

Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass did not rule out further signings after beating “stiff competition” to sign Holland Under-19 international winger Vicente Besuijen on Monday.

The 20-year-old former Roma youth international has signed until the summer of 2026 to join from ADO Den Haag, the second signing of the January transfer window after the arrival of American midfielder Dante Polvara.

The Dons kept Besuijen’s arrival quiet until everything had been agreed, with his signing coming amid continuing links to Celtic winger Mikey Johnson.

Asked if further signings could be expected, Glass said: “We’re happy with what we’ve done today. We’ve got a game to concentrate on now.

“There’s always stuff in the background, and if there’s anything to announce we will do so as we did today.

“But this one we managed to keep under wraps, which is nice.”

Besuijen made 30 appearances for Den Haag in the Eredivisie last season, and has six goals and 10 assists in the Dutch second tier this season.

“There was a lot of competition to sign a player at that level, and we’re delighted Vicente chose us, and delighted the club backed the decision making,” Glass added.

“He’s an attacking player, he can play anywhere across the front, and he’s had a really good pedigree in the top league in Holland, a big club in Den Haag. I’m looking forward to working with him and helping him progress.”

With Aberdeen having faced competition to sign Besuijen, Glass said the club’s history of developing young players was a factor.

“When you’re in demand you get the opportunity and the luxury to pick,” he said. “There are multiple reasons he’s chosen to come here and the history of the club is one of them.”

The Dons have paid an undisclosed fee to Den Haag but Glass said that did not mean exits were inevitable as Ryan Hedges and Calvin Ramsey are linked with moves away – with the latter said to be interesting Serie A club Bologna.

“The two things are not linked at all,” Glass said. “Ryan is still with us and unless any club comes up with the right money…he’ll still be here and helping us.

“(Calvin), there’s no update. He’s an Aberdeen player…There’s interest from a lot of people in Calvin. Any bids go to the board.

“If it gets to a level that I need to know about I’ll be told but we’ve not got to that stage yet so either there are no bids, or they’re very far from where they should be.”

Besuijen will not be available for Tuesday’s trip to St Mirren as the Colombia-born player waits for his work permit to come through.

Although Aberdeen beat the Buddies 4-1 at home last month, they suffered a 3-2 defeat on their last visit to Paisley, having allowed St Mirren to come from behind following the 51st minute dismissal of Teddy Jenks.

Glass is braced for a tough encounter but wants Aberdeen to apply pressure to those around them in the battle for Europe.

“We know that over the next week or two there’s a big opportunity to put points on the board,” he said.

“All the teams around us are playing each other but those things are only important if we take care of our own business.”

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