'Every kid's dream': Ex-Portsmouth man Kusini Yengi on why he has joined Aberdeen

Kusini Yengi has explained why he chose Scottish football for his latest challenge after clinching a move to Aberdeen.

The Australian striker had been a free agent following his release by Pompey, having helped them finish 16th in the Championship.

It represented an injury-hampered and hugely disappointing season for Yengi, after being a pivotal figure in the League Two title campaign in which he plundered 13 goals.

Still, despite interest from England and clubs abroad, the 26-year-old was this afternoon unveiled as Aberdeen’s fourth capture of the summer.

European competition

The Dons finished fifth in the Scottish Premiership in 2024-25, while a penalty shoot-out success over Celtic in the Scottish Cup final earned them silverware - plus a place in the Europa League play-offs.

Should they be eliminated at that stage, they will drop into the Europa Conference League, thereby ensuring Yengi will have the opportunity to feature in European competition next season.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin told their official website: ‘We were quite specific about the type of profile we had identified to play as a striker for Aberdeen and Kusini has a lot of the qualities we were after.

‘He is tall, strong and quick, he will work hard for the team and lead the line. He has also proven at both Portsmouth and with the Socceroos that he can score goals on a consistent basis.

‘It is important for us to have different profiles of players who can bring specific strengths to our shape and how we want to play. With European group stage football and a busy domestic schedule, he will play a vital role for us in what we hope will be a competitive squad.’

Disappointing campaign

Yengi would total 13 goals in 46 Pompey appearances after arriving from Western Sydney Wanderers for an undisclosed fee in July 2023.

While at Fratton Park, he also made his international debut with Australia, scoring six times in 11 outings, although has been left out of their most recent training camp.

Pompey decided against activating a clause to extend his deal by another 12 months following a season in which he failed to score in 14 appearances.

Now the attacker has a new home - and explained his reasons to Aberdeen’s website.

Yengi said: ‘I had a great chat with the manager and a lot of the staff here when I came down to visit and they were all very positive and that’s the main part of the reason why I decided that I wanted to come here.

‘I loved the project that was pitched to me by the coaching staff, what they want to achieve and what the club stands for and where they think they can utilise me as a player to help the club - and that all really sounded great to me. So I am very excited.

‘Every kid dreams of playing European football and playing for big clubs like Aberdeen so I am very excited to play in those competitions and represent Aberdeen.’

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