Ex-Hearts boss now favourite to be next Aberdeen manager after latest Pittodrie twist
Aberdeen are still on the hunt for a new manager after Jimmy Thelin was sacked as Dons boss in early January.
The Dons have had a terrible campaign to date, and are now in serious danger of not qualifying for Europe.
As a result, numerous managers have been linked to the current vacancy in the hope of turning the Scottish Premiership side’s fortunes around, with Markus Gisdol being the previous favourite for the Aberdeen job.
However, in yet another twist, ex-Hearts boss and current Falkirk manager John McGlynn has now emerged as the leading candidate.
Jimmy Thelin bids farewell to the Aberdeen support after his time as manager comes to an end.
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) January 4, 2026
The Swede led the Dons to their first Scottish Cup in 35 years in May last year.#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/lCCwTZ4l7d
John McGlynn 1/1 to become the next Aberdeen manager
McGlynn has done a fantastic job to date as the Falkirk manager.
So far in his tenure, he has overseen their rise back to the Scottish Premiership despite taking over in 2022 when the side were in League One.
As it stands, they could even be set to play European football next season, with Falkirk currently sixth in the table, five points off Hibernian in fifth.
Much of this is down to McGlynn’s brilliance, with Falkirk unlucky to lose to Celtic on Wednesday.
‘We kept Celtic quiet’
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) January 14, 2026
John McGlynn praised his side after a 1-0 defeat against Celtic despite a strong Falkirk display⤵️#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/3z77NkkX2Z
Previously, the coach had managed Hearts between 2012 and 2013 where he guided them to a Scottish League Cup final despite their financial position.
Now, Aberdeen appears to have taken note of his success, with one bookmaker making the manager the favourite for the Dons job with 1/1 odds.
Who else is in the running for the Aberdeen job?
Despite no longer being the favourite, Gisdol remains 4/1 to take over at the Dons next.
Following this is a trio of coaches in Robert Klaub, Jens Berthel Askou and Stephen Robinson who are all 6/1 for the job.
Celtic legend and current Ayr United manager Scott Brown was formerly one of the favourites for the Aberdeen job, but is now an outsider at 25/1 odds.
It remains to be seen who the Dons opt to go with as their campaign hangs in the balance going into the second half of the season.