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The Aberdeen transfer secret Lewis Mayo sprung on Kilmarnock pal before Pittodrie switch

· Scott Burns; Ruaraidh Britton · 2026-07-27 · nguồn gốc

The Aberdeen transfer secret Lewis Mayo sprung on Kilmarnock pal before Pittodrie switch The Dons signed the Kilmarnock ace on freedom of contract before making it a double by adding Brad Lyons to the revamped squad in their raid on the Rugby Park side. Lewis Mayo has revealed he was on the golf course when he discovered he wouldn't be moving to Aberdeen alone. The Dons signed the Kilmarnock ace on freedom of contract before making it a double by adding Brad Lyons to the squad in their raid on the Rugby Park side. He had been the subject of transfer interest from the Reds previously, and Mayo admits he had intimated to Lyons that they would both be staying in Scotland. But the centre-half kept his destination a secret until the end of the season, and dropped the surprise on his pal when they were spending the day on the course at Barassie, writes Record Sport. The defender confirmed: "It was quite funny because, again, the last week of the season, we were both kind of caught up with what we had going on then (trying to keep Kilmarnock in the Premiership). "It was just as the season finished, we were playing golf together. I think the day before we'd been, I think we'd both been staying in Scotland, but we hadn't said what club. "Then we were up the fairway in the first hole, and we both looked at each other and went, Aberdeen? Yes, see you Monday. It was a funny moment. "We both had a medical on the Monday together, so it was like, I'll see you up there on Monday." They were both close at Rugby Park and having each other at Cormack Park has helped them both settle into their new surroundings. He confirmed: "Yes, I was close to Brad at Kilmarnock anyway, but yes, it makes everything easier. "I think even for Aberdeen, you get to play with Brad, with his experience and I think he's shown already what he can give to the team in the games we've played. He adds a lot to the dressing room as well." Aberdeen’s pursuit of Mayo had been on-going even before Stephen Robinson was appointed as manager. Killie turned down several bids in January from the Dons. Mayo stated: "When you're contracted, it's up to the clubs to do business and if the clubs aren't going to do business, you can't really get too distracted. So although I was aware of it, it was never at a point where it was my decision before me. "So my time there I was very focused on the job we had to do and we had a lot to focus on at the end of the season to do right. But when the season finished and I could make my own decision, I felt that this was the next step for me and I just couldn't wait to get started." Robinson cemented Aberdeen’s interest when he came in and convinced Mayo to head north. He explained: "I’ve played against the manager plenty of times, so I had a feel for how he worked and then had a good chat with him as well, which was really positive about how he sees me here and how he wants to work. "But as a club, I mean, everyone knows the size of the club at Aberdeen and the ambitions and expectations. So all that together, there was a lot for me to look forward to."