In recent years, the EFL has seen several clubs enter the European market to acquire new players.
One of the most notable and recent examples is Notts County, who signed Gambian forward Alassana Jatta from Danish club Viborg FF.
He has bagged 19 goal contributions in 27 games since his arrival, so that move has proven to be the result of some excellent scouting work done by the club.
Another EFL League One club, Stockport County, have followed a similar route by signing Icelandic forward Benoný Breki Andrésson from KR Reykjavík.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a highly successful 2024 campaign in Iceland, scoring 24 goals in 30 games across all competitions.
Stockport fans will be eager to see that kind of clinical form from Andrésson after his move is completed at the opening of the January transfer window.
How much we see of Andrésson this season remains a question.
Stockport’s official statement regarding the signing states that he will be part of the club’s ‘Emerging Talent program,’ where he will undergo an ‘extensive development plan.’
To some readers, this could seem like County are aiming to slowly introduce Andrésson to the first-team environment rather than throwing him straight into League One action.
Based on his current ability, this scout report will provide a mixed data and tactical analysis of what the Icelandic forward could offer Stockport County.
The analysis will also discuss the player he could develop into.
Benoný Breki Andrésson Player Overview
Benoný Breki Andrésson Radar Map
Benoný Breki Andrésson already possesses several admirable traits, from his clinical approach in the box to his hard work out of possession.
As Figure 1 shows, Andrésson is a high ranker in several attacking percentiles compared to other centre-forwards (CFs) in Iceland’s top division (and other leagues in the same tier deemed to be at a similar level).
Not only is he a threat in shooting situations, but his high rank for touches in the box suggests that he is consistently able to involve himself in an array of attacking scenarios – not just in the latter stages of the attack.
He also offers a decent defensive presence, pressing the opposition's backline and making interceptions in important areas.
Benoný Breki Andrésson Heatmap
Andrésson’s physical makeup means he is quite important to various possession stages in central areas, which is somewhat reflected in the heatmap above.
While he occasionally drifts into wide areas in the final third, he mostly stays more central.
Another noteworthy element of his game, reflected in his heatmap in Figure 2, is his tendency to drop into deeper areas to link up with the midfield and provide support in build-up phases and certain attacking transitions.
Benoný Breki Andrésson Natural Goal Threat
What likely jumps out to fans when doing their research about Andrésson is his goal return, which has been nothing short of spectacular, especially in the 2024 Icelandic campaign.
24 goals in 30 games is impressive at any level, and when you consider his age, that kind of attacking impact becomes even more impressive.
As we mentioned, this scout report will include data analysis elements.
We are aware of the difference in style and standard between the Icelandic first tier and England’s third tier, but analysing Andrésson’s statistics against centre-forwards from both leagues allows for some fascinating insight into his playstyle and output.
As mentioned, we start by examining his xG per 90 and goals per 90 stats compared to those of CFs from both leagues.
We have highlighted a selection of League One’s top-scoring CFs at the time of writing so you can directly assess his playstyle more than some of League One’s most prolific CFs.
And he’s off to a flier, as you can see, besting every CF in Iceland’s Besta Deild Karla and England’s League One when it comes to both attacking metrics.
As mentioned, it’s essential to remember the level and style of football.
Andrésson has been accustomed to playing within to register such data, but his output, even against CFs in Besta Deild, is extremely pleasing and promising.
A high xG suggests that Andrésson consistently gets into dangerous goal-scoring positions and highlights his clinical ability.
Figure 4 gives us a bit more insight into the playstyle of Andrésson.
The teenager is 6’1” tall, so he has a height presence—of course, he could also grow a little more in the next couple of years.
Despite that height, though, being involved in aerial duels is not a major part of his game – or at least it wasn’t for KR Reykjavík – Stockport may yet look to incorporate such traits into his game.
While Andrésson seemingly doesn’t get too involved with aerial duels in general play, he clearly offers an aerial threat inside the box, again best all of the highlighted League One CFs (and many of the other L1 & Besta Deild CFs) for headed goals.
Earlier, we discussed Andrésson’s high xG register and how his movement regularly allows him to enter potential goalscoring positions.
It can’t be understated – off-the-ball movement is one of Andrésson’s biggest assets.
The example above shows us a typical CF move: he drifts across slightly before making a darting run behind the backline off the shoulder of the defender.
His pace and good timing give him an advantage in these moments.
Figure 6 gives us another taste of his timing in movement and showcases his high game IQ.
The KR Reykjavík move takes shape on the left side of the pitch.
Andrésson takes up a position towards the far side of the box, anticipating that the move may lead to a cross.
He was correct and showed great timing in his movement to get past his marker at the far post and tap the low cross in.
This may seem like a simple move, but there are small details involved in being successful in that position in terms of movement and the timing of the run, and Andrésson, unsurprisingly, got it spot on.
Benoný Breki Andrésson Creative Qualities
Benoný Breki Andrésson isn’t just a force to be reckoned with when it comes to shooting at goal, but he can also be important in various other possession phases.
In 2024, Andrésson contributed four assists in league competition, which isn’t a number to be shrugged at when considering what he offers in front of goal.
The data above shows us how he performs creatively against League One and Besta Deild CFs.
He averages well above average for assists per 90 minutes and just above average for key passes per 90 minutes.
Stockport may look to build upon this creative ability.
If they can develop his physicality, they may be able to combine his strength and hold-up play with his vision and awareness.
Benoný Breki Andrésson Assist Map
It should come as no surprise that Benoný Breki Andrésson is at his most creative in central areas when we saw earlier that most of his work comes from those areas.
Andrésson hasn’t been required to utilise a varied passing range all that often.
Still, when he picks the ball up in midfield, whether that’s in general possession or during an attacking transition, he has shown both the composure and technical ability to pick out the right pass – this is why he has registered four league assists this year.
Throughout this scout report, a few references have been to Andrésson’s ability in transitions.
While he generally doesn’t dribble much, his physical attributes help him be effective when he decides to move with the ball, making him a threat in attacking transitions.
Figure 9 shows Andrésson’s ability to effectively execute attacking transitions, showcasing his dribbling and passing qualities.
After collecting the ball inside his own half, Andrésson recognises the space ahead of him is free and charges into it with the ball.
This run continued into the opposition's half.
Andrésson's holding onto the ball rather than passing immediately allowed his teammates to support him in the attack and get into strong positions, which in turn provided a good passing option on the left flank.
Andrésson timed his pass well, and while it was a simple action, we’ve all seen players try to overcomplicate things or be flashy in moments when less is more.
Andrésson seems to shine at keeping things simple but effective.
Conclusion
While Benoný Breki Andrésson certainly has potential and a host of existing qualities, it could take him some time to make a genuine impact on Stockport County's first team.
That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t expect to see much of him in the coming months, but the club appears to be taking a patient approach.
They aim to slowly introduce him to the English game and focus more on developing his skill set.
Regardless, it could be highly exciting for County fans whenever he does begin to feature for Stockport – time will tell just when that time will come.
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