Former Celtic striker Tommy Johnson has been linked with the vacant Head of Recruitment role at Aberdeen. The Englishman enjoyed a productive few years at Paradise, serving as fantastic back up to the likes of Henrik Larsson, Mark Viduka and Chris Sutton. Upon retiring from playing the game, Johnson went into coaching with Notts County in 2007 and parted company with the club in 2010. A short absence from football followed before he coached Northern Ireland’s U23s, scouted for Cardiff City and eventually became Blackpool’s Head of Recruitment in 2019.
Aberdeen have been restructuring their club somewhat this summer. Stephen Glass has taken over as Manager and he is joined by Celtic legend Scott Brown, who assumes player/coach responsibilities, whilst Steven Gunn has been promoted to the Director of Football role. Alongside those developments, the Aberdeen Evening Express has suggested that Tommy Johnson has emerged as frontrunner to replace Russ Richardson in the Head of Recruitment role within the new structure at Pittodrie.
As well as playing for a treble winning Celtic team, Johnson has played for Kilmarnock so he has a good understanding of the Scottish game. Outside of the SPFL (formerly SPL), he has won trophies with Aston Villa and has also plied his trade with the likes of Derby County, Everton and Sheffield Wednesday. A man with vast experience, he could be a shrewd appointment for the Dons.