'He could...' - Aberdeen insider delivers Jeppe Okkels verdict as Preston North End sale chances assessed

Jeppe Okkels has shown some positive signs at Aberdeen but now enters a crunch period of his loan move.

That is the view of chief football reporter, Sean Wallace, who reports on Dons’ fortunes for the Press and Journal. It’s been a turbulent 12 months for Okkels. He signed for PNE in the summer after six months with FC Utrecht, for a reported £1.7million - a figure since said to be lower, according to CEO Peter Ridsdale.

The move to Deepdale was completed one day after manager Ryan Lowe’s departure. After making 10 appearances in all competitions for North End, a loan to the Pittodrie Stadium was confirmed in early January - a switch which saw him reunite with former Elfsborg boss, Jimmy Thelin.

Since then, the Dane has racked up 561 minutes for Aberdeen, across another 10 appearances. He’s made eight starts in the Scottish Premiership, one in the Scottish Cup and a further substitute outing in the league - in which the Dons sit fourth.

That league position is down to the team’s incredible start to the season. Okkels, as Wallace discusses, arrived north of the border during a difficult moment for Aberdeen - whose form has gradually steadied following a tough run.

It’s been well documented that Aberdeen have a buy option inserted in the loan agreement for Okkels, believed to be around the £1m mark. From the outside the chances of that being triggered appear slim but Wallace wouldn’t rule out a return of some form just yet.

“He's done alright,” Wallace told the Lancashire Post, when asked to assess Okkels’ spell. “He had a slow start, probably down to lack of game time and the speed of the Scottish game. It's quite hard to come in and immediately adapt and get up to speed, but he's looked a lot better. Particularly his first two games for Aberdeen, he looked really off the pace. I was a little bit concerned, but he's worked really hard and is up to speed now - though it's maybe dropped off in the last week or so.

“He was substituted in the last game and he was subbed off at half-time in the previous two matches before that. I think it was more a tactical change because Aberdeen were losing both games and Jimmy Thelin is quite prone to making changes at half time, if things aren't going his way. I think it was more a tactical change than a comment on how Okkels was performing. He’s been consistently playing on the left-wing of a 4-2-3-1 formation.

“There's definitely been positive signs. He scored a fantastic goal... a 15-yard curler into the top corner and that would have really got him up and running. But then it was chalked off, following a VAR review for a marginal offside. It was a sensational strike. He's handled the physicality well. I think it was, initially, just the pace of the game because you don't get any time on the ball in the Scottish Premiership. Thelin likes to play a high-tempo, high-press game.

“If you haven't played much for a couple of months and come into that, it's almost cold. It takes time to integrate into it and get up to speed, but he's done that now. Obviously, there's the option to buy. It's a difficult one because he's not really set the world alight. He's not pushing forward a compelling argument for Aberdeen to splash a lot of money to sign him. At the moment, it's still early. There's still eight league games of the season left, a semi-final and potentially a Scottish Cup final.

“They're coming into a clutch period... Aberdeen could get European qualification and, potentially, a trophy. This is a period where they would hope to be a creative player like Okkels to maybe change games. The platform and opportunity is definitely there for them to push forward. He could deliver an argument to get that contract. His relationship with Thelin obviously tips that more in his favour, because Thelin does have a lot of confidence and faith in him. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.”

“They’ve stuck by him.”

It’s difficult to know whether social media is a full representation of the attitude towards a player, manager or team. Okkels has come in for some flak online since making the move to Aberdeen but Wallace believes he has largely been supported by the Dons faithful. As for the man himself, it’s an experience the Dane is said to have taken in his stride and enjoyed overall.

“They've stuck by him,” said Wallace. “I think there's understanding that he hadn't played much when he came here. Aberdeen fans are quite open minded. They don't get on their own players' backs much. You've also got in the caveat that he came into Aberdeen at a very, very difficult time for the team... in the midst of a 14-game winless run in the Premiership, which came just after a record 11-game unbeaten start to the league. It was a very strange time.

“He went from the greatest start to the worst league run with a flip of a coin. It's hard to make a creative impact in a new team when you haven't got the full match sharpness. I interviewed him a couple of weeks ago and he said he was really enjoying it. He was just glad he was back playing regular football again. Up until the match against St Johnstone, before the international break, he was a regular first team starter. He seems to have integrated really well into the squad.”

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