Linked to Aberdeen have been Crawford, Makel, Boyd, Stillie, Byrne, Nicholson and more, while Diamond, Anderson, Heikkinen, Whelan and Stewart have apparently been targetted by other clubs. But what Aberdeen fans really want to know, apart from whether there is any truth whatsoever in these rumours, is how are the Jimmies going to turn around the slump in the last three (arguably five) games?
One thing demonstrated by the Boxing Day (I know it was on the 27th, but tradition is tradition...) fixture is that we have no squad depth. It is still an improvement from the last few seasons' squads, demonstrated by the fact that Monday's team, with several injuries, resembled one of Ebbe's first-choice teams: lightweight and ineffective.
With Tiernan already shipped out, and McGuire and one or both of Whelan and Pasquinelli surely to follow, the squad is becoming thinner than a Christmas cracker hat, and our forwards are as explosive as a party popper (unless you include Steven Craig's Dundee reaction). Jimmy Calderwood seems desperate to sign Ritchie Byrne by all accounts, but as our defence is an area well covered at the moment, the question is: why?
It seems more glaringly obvious that midfield options, particularly attacking ones, are what is required. Nicholson has been mooted, but should AFC spend their whole budget on one player, or try and find cheaper gems such as they did in Tosh, Heikkinen and Severin? The latter option seems by far the more sensible.
Up front, with Craig betraying his Butcher-led Motherwell upbringing against Dundee, and Whelan presumably the more likely candidate for the boot, we need some cover for our lightweight (Mackie, Stewart, Foster) and injury-prone (Pasquinelli, Adams) forwards. Whether this be Stevie Crawford, who has lately been linked more strongly with Dundee United, or not remains to be seen, but again this would involve most if not all of Aberdeen's budget. Is it worth it?
We are already entering a crucial time for our new management team and Willie Miller. Only Severin can be said to be a success out of the club's summer signings, and Calderwood et al must prove their mettle in the transfer market during the January window. The team are in a lull just now, with the early season confidence beginning to wane and the fans already starting to turn (although perhaps unfairly). The point against Caley Thistle took Aberdeen over their points total from last season, but this is not enough now - it is time to push on. Jimmy, it's over to you.