Several candidates are being suggested for the vacant Pittodrie manager's role following Monday's sacking of Stephen Robinson.

Valakari is one of the domestic managers being put forward in some quarters. The Fin helped the Perth side gain promotion from the Championship and now has then holding their own in the top flight.

But Webb believes his manager will be going nowhere.

"Simo is very dedicated to this project, so I’m not concerned at all. He’s 100 per cent about seeing this through. He loves it here and is invested in it," he said.

“You want your manager to be getting positive mentions because it shows he’s doing a good job.

“It’s an interesting contradiction in football — you want people to do well but it means they will move on eventually.

“He has a long-term contract with us for several more years that was signed earlier this year.

“We will be fully supportive of Simo moving on at the right time when the right opportunity comes along.

“When that happens we’ll wish him well, but I don’t think we’re there yet. We have a project to see through before that happens.

“Simo understands we’ve given him the scenario he wanted — giving him time, giving him the personnel he wanted around him, giving him the budget he wanted.

“We stuck by Simo when the going was tough. I know him, he understands what makes sense and what’s good.

“We saw enough from Simo in the first season that he had his strong beliefs but we had to clean house and start afresh with his players.

“He had an incredible season last year and it has continued this season at a tougher level.

“The goal has been to compete every week and we have been achieving that.

“When you do that, you’re able to get the late draws and wins we have.

That’s down to the resilience of the team, which comes from the character of the coach.

“The team reflects Simo’s mindset. They have a great morale and camaraderie.

“When you have someone like him around you get a good group of guys who fight for each other because it filters down from the coach."

Webb had a very high opinion of Valakari from the first time he spoke to him over a Zoom call.

“When we first spoke to him on the Zoom call, everyone went away thinking, ‘This guy has something special about him’," he added.

“Getting to know him better over time, spending a lot of time with him since then, you realise he’s a very special human being.

“He’s a great football coach but, more than that, he’s a special individual.

“The people of Perth have seen it, the people he meets in the street, the time he spends with people around the city.

“There’s no show with Simo, he’s the real deal.

“It’s not vital or essential for being a football coach, but I think it helps a lot.

“He’s very good with people. Players and his staff want to do well for him. His leadership filters down and it all works together.

“We won’t grudge Simo his success when it comes by going to a higher level than St Johnstone.

“But there’s more to do here and I believe he’s very content to see it through, getting us to where he aspires us to be.”