Manager Stephen Robinson joins Aberdeen from St Mirren

Stephen Robinson has been confirmed as Aberdeen’s new manager, arriving from Scottish Premiership rivals St Mirren.

The 51-year-old has agreed a contract until the summer of 2029 and is taking his assistant Brian Kerr with him to Pittodrie.

Robinson was described as a “proven leader with a proven track record of over-achieving” by Dons boss Dave Cormack.

Cormack added in a club statement: “He has proven that he is capable of consistently achieving strong results, far exceeding the resources he has had to work with, over the past eight years in Scottish football, and proving that he is capable of building resilient, competitive teams with solid foundations.”

“There is a strong desire to re-establish a clear identity for our club, to make it more difficult to play against and to regain competitiveness in our matches. For these reasons we believe Steven is the right coach to achieve exactly that.”

Robinson joined St Mirren in February 2022 and led them to League Cup glory in December, after finishing in the top six three times in a row.

However, Paisley currently sit in 10th place, one place and five points behind Aberdeen, and just three points ahead of Kilmarnock in the relegation zone.

Having been under contract until 2028, St Mirren say Aberdeen have triggered a compensation clause to release Robinson.

John Needham, club chairman, said: “While we are sad to see Stephen leave the club, he leaves with everyone’s best wishes after four years of outstanding service.”

Craig McLeish, Jamie Langfield and Allan McManus will take temporary charge until a replacement is found.

Peter Levein has been in charge since Aberdeen sacked Jimmy Thelen in early January.

The Scottish Cup holder was defeated 3-0 by second-tier Dunfermline Athletic in the quarter-finals on Saturday, winning only once in eight matches.

Cormack added: “No one within the football club can dispute that the performances and results this season have been unacceptable and far below what is expected here at Aberdeen.”

“However, during these testing periods comes an opportunity to increase focus and re-evaluate areas where changes are required, and given the recent results, we recognized the need to quickly make a permanent appointment.”

The Dons had previously been linked with Erik Hornlund and held talks with Sandro Schwarz.