ABERDEEN today admitted they could struggle to hold on to all six of the star players whose contracts are about to expire.
Skipper Scott Severin, Darren Mackie, Jamie Smith, Lee Mair, Derek Young and Jeffrey de Visscher could all become free agents in the summer, and are free to talk to other clubs from January.
Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood has already confirmed he is confident they will be able to hold on to in-form striker Mackie.
But he expressed fears that some of the others may choose to follow the lead of Barry Nicholson, Michael Hart and Chris Clark, who accepted more lucrative offers from English lower league clubs last season.
Calderwood, who plans to hold face-to-face meetings with all six players during the first week of January, said: “I want to get the Hearts and Hamilton games out of the way before we get down to sorting out their contracts.
“I’ve had a wee word with them all to let them know what I think. But we’ve still to get down to the nitty gritty of financial negotiations.
“How those talks go will dictate whether I will be able to hold on to all six.
“I wouldn’t be against the idea of that at all.
“It would be great, but the players might get other offers we can’t match.
“They might also think it’s time for a change, as was the case with Barry Nicholson last year.
“We will just have to wait and find out what is on their minds.â€
Calderwood hopes the players will see being a part of what he described as “an exciting future for Aberdeen†will persuade the bulk of the six to stay.
“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side,†he said.
“I believe the future for Aberdeen is looking very exciting, so it’s up to them what they want to do.
“We all know they could make a lot more money down in England.
“All I can ask is that they weigh everything up carefully before making a final decision.
“I’m sure they will speak to Lee Miller, Sone Aluko, Gary McDonald and Charlie Mulgrew, who have experienced what it’s like in England, to ask why they chose to come to Aberdeen.
“It’s getting harder every year to keep good players because Scotland is pretty much like Denmark now.
“English clubs who can’t afford big buys look here as they know they can get players with great ability and a great attitude at sensible prices.â€
