Who is new Dons striker Dabbagh?

On deadline day Aberdeen signed Palestine’s record scorer Oday Dabbagh on loan from Charleroi in Belgium.

But who is the new striker tasked with getting the goals to return the Dons to winning ways amid the club’s abject run?

Now 26 years old, the 6ft forward made his professional debut at age 16 in his home country with Hilal Al-Quds. He helped the club to three successive West Bank Premier League titles and was the division’s top scorer in 2019 with a 16-goal haul.

Such prolific form earned Dabbagh a move to Kuwait, with stints at Al-Salmiya SC, Qadsia, Al-Yarmouk SC, and Al-Arabi SC, winning the 2020-21 league title with the latter and finishing the league’s top scorer with 13 goals.

Europe beckoned next for the promising striker, joining Portuguese top-flight side Arouca, where he became the first homegrown Palestinian footballer to play in one of the continent’s top five leagues.

Dabbagh scored 15 goals across 45 appearances in his debut campaign, however it was in his second season with the club that he really thrived, netting 11 in 21 games.

That brought plenty of praise but he didn’t feature for the club during the final two months of the season, with a move to Belgian Pro League side Charleroi in the offing.

When his then manager Armando Evangelista was asked about the forward’s exclusion with rumours of a move to Belgian swirling, he said: “These are consequences of the market.”

Seven goals in 44 appearances followed in Belgium, with his contribution last term keeping Charleroi in the league after they slipped into the relegation play-off rounds. He has scored only once this season, a 90th-minute equaliser against Standard Liege in late November.

Dabbagh’s international exploits, however, are the most notable of his career so far.

He has netted 16 goals in 45 caps, making him Palentine’s record scorer, and whichever club he is at closely followed by fans of the national side.

Can Dabbagh be the man to turn Aberdeen’s fortunes around, or will he succumb to their on-field struggles?