Derek McInnes had been chasing Craig Bryson for 18 months but genuinely didn’t think he could attract him to Aberdeen.
The former Scotland star has signed a two-year contract and will officially move to Pittodrie under freedom of contract next month.
The 32-year-old turned down an extension from Derby County and a deal at Luton Town, as well as approaches from Kilmarnock and Hibs, to move north.
And McInnes admitted: “When we looked at the out of contract list 18 months ago Craig was someone who stood out to us.
“But we didn’t really think we could get him, truth be told.
“The reality usually is that you don’t get certain ones and initially we assumed he’d be in that bracket.
“Since January, though, we have been in constant contact with his agent and got the message he wanted to come back to Scotland.
“Derby wanted to keep him and he had a strong offer from another Championship club so he could have benefited financially from staying down in England.
“But he made his mind up to come back to Scotland and when that happened we felt we’d have a chance.
“Things have moved quickly and now he’s coming in, I can’t wait to get working with him.”
Bryson is still recovering from an ankle ligament problem but McInnes is confident he will be involved in their opening Europa League games against Finnish side RoPS next month.
The arrival of the ex-Killie player will also more than fill the void left by captain Graeme Shinnie, who has headed the other way by joining Derby.
McInnes said: “Craig is motivated to be here, he wants to play in Europe because that’s something he hasn’t done.
“We have lost players, including my captain, so we needed to bring the right types and the right quality in.
“And in Craig we’re getting a proper person and a proper player to the club.
“Shinnie is Shinnie and Craig is Craig, it’s about getting a quality player. They both play with a high intensity, they both want to win and they are both team players.
“When you make signings you know some will work out and some won’t but this one I feel I can say with certainty is a good move for our club.”
Bryson might be coming to the latter stages of his career but McInnes knows he will raise standards at Aberdeen.
The Dons boss said: “Craig has consistently played at a high level so it’s good to work with someone like him.
“There are lots of factors to that, first his ability and the fact Derby wanted to keep him.
“That wasn’t due to sentiment, it was down to him still being a key player there.
“He is 32 but he’s running 13k a game and sometimes more than that so his physical output is what you’d expect.
“I like his energy, his quality and his experience. Both on and off the pitch I think he will have a big influence here. I had heard good things about him and since we have started speaking I have been very impressed by Craig.”
McInnes is still looking to add to his squad before the Europa League deadline.
He is still in talks with Derby about Max Lowe but that is up in the air with Rams boss Frank Lampard touted for a possible switch to Chelsea.
McInnes has also confirmed he is still in talks with Gary Mackay-Steven who has been offered a deal by Portsmouth after MLS side New York City ended their interest.
The Aberdeen manager said: “Gary is still undecided about things.
“I have reinforced to him that he really wants to be here, like the rest of the players do.
“If he picks up the phone in the next few days and says that he really wants to be here then we can pick up on that.
“But I’m getting on with the job not on that assumption.”
