Aberdeen have a significant January transfer window ahead of them under Jimmy Thelin.
The manager has been proud of his squad thus far as Aberdeen sit second in the Scottish Premiership table.
Thelin has brought in seven signings since he officially took over and the vast majority were able to hit the ground running as the Dons went 21 games without defeat.
It was an incredible run and one which highlighted Thelin and his recruitment staff’s fine work from the summer, but the club will likely hope to use the January window as another to reinforce their squad and add quality to their ranks for the run-in.
That is why Thelin has moved to appoint a new scouting chief to oversee winter plans having seen Chris Badlan step down as head of recruitment.
Long-serving Nuno De Almeida has now replaced Badlan in the role having come into the club alongside Thelin when the Swede took the job.
The Portuguese talent spotter has been working as an international scout and consultant but will take the promotion to work closer with the likes of director of football Steven Gunn and the gaffer.
De Almeida had previously worked with Thelin in Sweden with Elfsborg as assistant coach and chief scout.
Before that he had stints with European giants FC Porto and Rio Ave in his home country.
Nuno De Almeida has been promoted to head of Aberdeen recruitment
De Almeida claims he has enjoyed his time at Pittodrie in a smaller role so far but is ready to sink his teeth into the big job.
And he said on the move: “I am pleased to be given this opportunity to lead the recruitment team at such an historic club.
“I have enjoyed working within the department over the last six months and I am looking forward to building on the recent positive work.
“My way of working and the approach Aberdeen has taken in recent seasons is completely aligned, and we will work together to identify and recruit exciting talents who can help us deliver our sporting goals on the pitch.”
What Steven Gunn has said about De Almeida’s appointment
DoF Gunn added: “Nuno has had a hugely positive impact in his time at Aberdeen thus far, bringing a breadth of experience across multiple player trading markets.
“He has a clear understanding of our needs as we work to build on our positive start to Jimmy’s leadership of the First Team.
“Nuno has been working with us closely since the summer to identify and progress our player recruitment priorities for the next two transfer windows and that work to strengthen the squad is ongoing.
“We are delighted to be able to strengthen the senior football staff at the club and to have a person of Nuno’s calibre and technical expertise at Aberdeen as we work towards helping Jimmy deliver a winning team on the pitch and build on the trading model which will support future investment into the first-team.”