Lutz Pfannenstiel met the press today as he was unveiled as Aberdeen’s new sporting director – and he had a few stories to tell
14:21, 18 Nov 2025Updated 23:14, 18 Nov 2025
Aberdeen sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel(Image: SNS Group)
Lutz Pfannenstiel might have picked up a penguin in the past but he has insisted his main focus is now on helping Aberdeen to pick up points.
The sporting director was unveiled to the media earlier today.
The German had a colourful playing career which saw him take home a penguin when he was in New Zealand, he was wrongly jailed for match-fixing in Singapore and he also died and had to be revived when he was playing for Bradford Park Avenue.
The new man said: “Before we start, just quickly one thing. I think you guys are very interested in my penguin stories and stuff like that.
“So yes, I did have a penguin in my bathtub once. I didn’t steal him. I just borrowed him for a night.
“I was in prison as well, as you read, and I also was dead in Bradford.
“I wrote a wonderful book about it. So if you want one, I can get it – I have it out in the boot, 10 quid, and you can have one.
“I have done lots of other things. It’s like, I think, more than 25 years ago, and I want to focus on Aberdeen.
“I want to focus on now and what’s happening in the future, and not just talk about the Arctic birds.”
The 52-year-old comes in with the immediate aim to get Aberdeen’s season up and running.
He confirmed: “The objective is obviously to come in and have an impact.
(Image: Derek Ironside/Shutterstock)
“I think we’re all aware that the start of the season was not great. And I think the expectations are much higher.
“I think the team is much better than when you look right now at the table.
“However, you know, I’m a sporting director, so I can’t have the immediate impact on the field or on the training field. That’s not my job.
“I’m here more in a strategic position.
“There are short-term goals, which we want to work on – short-term things which can be fixed.
“But for me, it’s more about the medium term, the long term, where Aberdeen Football Club wants to be in the next three or five years.
“What are the big goals here, especially when it comes to youth development, when it comes to player training models, when it comes to actually being a club who strengthens the connection between academy football, development football and the first team – There is plenty of things I think I want to work on and be as successful as possible as a club.”
Pfannenstiel, along with Jimmy Thelin, will be looking to make minor changes to the Aberdeen squad in January.
He claimed: “Short term, from now till January, I think it’s more giving as much as help and support to the players right now and obviously try to pick up as many points as possible.
“I mean, that’s the very short term.
“But I think my short term will start more when January comes or from now, the preparation to the January transfer window.
“There are definitely a few things we have to adjust.
“We have to strengthen and have that impact to turn that season into a decent season.
“I think there is enough quality in the squad to do that.
“And with a few little adjustments and improvements, I think we can achieve that goal.”
He has also insisted he will work closely with Thelin.
He explained: “I’m here to support Jimmy at the moment with everything I can.
“Of course, you mentioned the question earlier, to talk about players, to have a short list of players who fit in that. And then that needs to be discussed between me and the recruitment team and, of course, the manager, because there’s no point if I sign three players the manager simply doesn’t rate – the same as the other way around.
“There will be a lot of conversations, there will be daily meetings. And so far, whenever we speak, I have a really good feeling about that.
“We see football very much the same and we align on that.
“And that’s what we also will focus on the next few weeks, where I think everybody has a very, very clear role and very clear responsibilities.”
Sign up to our Record Sport newsletter
Get all the latest Sports news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.
We cover every morsel of information regarding your favourite club in the form of articles, videos and podcasts.
The newsletter will arrive every day at 12pm, giving you a round up of the best stories we’ve covered that in the last 24 hours.
To sign up, simply enter your email address into the link here.
And if you aren’t already, make sure you join the conversation over on our Facebook groups and Record Sport Instagram.
Pfannenstiel also thinks he is aligned in terms of football philosophies with Thelin and he is here to help him.
He added: “It was good news for Jimmy that I came in because I think he can focus more on what he wants to focus on and really purely get concentrated on the coaching stuff and working on the on-field stuff.
“I can take away a lot of pressure from him when it comes to dealing also with recruitment and finding players.
“I think that the manager role, we’re all still used to when I played in England – where the manager made every single decision when it came to recruitment and whoever did what – it was normally the one-man show.
“I think sometimes there was in the past too much help needed from the first-team coach. I think now that has changed.
“I think that the head coach should really be able to focus on what’s happening on the field, what’s happening in the changing room.”