Peter Leven spoke to the media this afternoon ahead of Saturday’s match with Livingston at Pittodrie.
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New arrivals
“They’re good additions. Liam (Morrison) has played 11 times in the English Championship this season and brings experience, so it was good to have him fully training today.
“Toyosi (Olusanya) is a player we know well, he’s performed really well against us in the past and brings a different option with his speed in behind. Both players are available and ready for the game this weekend. They both trained today, it was their first time with the team. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.
“Yes, 100% (when asked if having new faces brings a freshness to the squad.) That was the word we used today — freshness. New players can push other and create competition for places. They’re welcome additions.”
Departure of Jesper Karlsson
“It’s one of those things. Bologna reached out, and Jesper took that option. We wish him all the best and thank him for his efforts here. He’s a talented player, and hopefully he can kick on now.”
Transfer update
“Nothing just now. Lutz is really busy. If there’s a deal to be done, and it fits the club and it’s the right time, then I think we’ll do it.”
Team news
“Everybody’s looking good. Gyamfi picked up a little niggle, so we’ll wait on that. Mats has returned from illness, which is positive.
“Nick Suman will be sidelined for a while. That’s something the recruitment team and coaching staff have been looking at to add strength there. It’s his ankle. He rolled it in training and he’ll be out for a few months.
“They’re working on that just now (signing a backup). Rodrigo (Vitols) is a young player with loads of potential, and it’ll be a good opportunity to get him on the bench.”
The challenge of Livingston
“We need to build on last week’s win. We’ve got a couple of new fresh faces, and we’re at home. It’s been a positive week of training, so we need to take that into the game.
“I went down on Tuesday to watch them. They’ve changed the way they play and they’ve been unlucky in a lot of games. They probably deserve more points than they’ve got. Davey’s teams are always difficult — they’ve got good players and a changing style, so it’ll be tough. But it’s about what we do.”
Lessons in recruitment
“It’s difficult when you bring so many nationalities into the club. That’s something we have to reflect on — what mistakes were made and how we move forward. Lutz’s working hard in the background, moving pieces, but it has to fit how we want to play. The players who’ve gone — we thank them for their efforts and wish them well.”
Back at home
“It’s another big game for us. We know the expectations from the fans and the pressure on the players. We have to start well. Olusanya brings something different, speed, power, tenacity, and fans have seen that against us before. Hopefully, he brings that here.”
Taking our chances
“We need to kill games off. If it’s 1–0 late on, anything can happen. We’ve got to take our chances and be more clinical.
“We’ve got to create more chances. A change of shape might help — playing with wingers now. But it’s not just on the nines. I need goals from the 10s, the wingers, midfielders, and even centre-backs like Jack last week. Everyone has to contribute.”
