Bojan Miovski: Aberdeen's new £500k striker, Zoom conversations and goal expectation

Aberdeen will be hoping new signing Bojan Miovski can come up with magic moments like his first goal of last season for MTK Budapest.

In an opening day draw at Gyirmót FC, the North Macedonian international dropped deep, allowing a team-mate to run in behind. He then made a run of his own to collect a pass, evade a defender before scooping the ball over the goalkeeper from a narrow angle and into the net.

It was the first of nine goals in 17 appearances in the first half of the season which brought about attention from clubs in Europe. So much so that MTK knocked back a €2million bid from Spanish side Granada.

Fast forward six months and Miovski, who turns 23 on Friday, has agreed a four-year deal to join Aberdeen, despite serious interest from top-flight clubs in Hungary, for a hefty six-figure fee which The Scotsman understands to be upwards of £500,000.

A sizeable outlay for a Scottish club – taking the Dons’ summer investment above £1million – but one, a young international with ten caps, which could prove to be a bargain.

“He’s a number nine,” Dons boss Jim Goodwin said. “He’s about 6ft 3in, very mobile, very athletic. He’s left sided and has got an eye for a goal, there’s no doubt about it.

“We all agreed that this is the type of centre-forward that we should be bringing into the club if we could make it happen.

“But we couldn’t have made it happen without the board’s support, and them believing in the strategy and vision we have for the team.

Aberdeen have added North Macedonian international Bojan Miovski. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

"There were a couple of big bids that actually went in for him last January from a couple of teams in Europe. But thankfully they didn’t come off and he was still available when I came into the club in February.”

Goal expectation

Miovski, who will join up with the club once the Visa process has concluded, would score just once more in the second half of the season. He was no longer guaranteed a starting berth after a change in manager and when he did play it was often out wide.

Seen as a striker, he is a different forward option to what the club already have. Hard to pin down, there is a willingness to run in behind, pull wide and drop deep and he is not shy in popping up in poacher positions.

Jim Goodwin believes Miovski will be shrewd addition at Aberdeen. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

He brings balance to the attack and one Goodwin and the recruitment team at Pittodrie are excited about.

Goodwin has had Zoom conversations with the player and there is an expectation on him to score goals. But the notion that the fee adds pressure has been rejected.

"I don’t think this guy is bothered by pressure," he said. “He’s a very good character with good confidence and self-belief.

“You don’t get to the level he’s been playing at without those qualities.

“He’s certainly not the finished article. But we believe the level he’s coming in at right now, we expect him to score goals straight away. There will also be improvement in him. There’s no pressure on him whatsoever.

"It’s a real sign of intent from the club to show our supporters that we have ambition. Signing quality players like this will hopefully excite the fans for next season.”