While most leagues around Europe have only just started their long journey towards the end of the 23/24 season, there are a selection of leagues that have continued through the summer months. While the top 5 leagues pause over the summer, the Scandinavian leagues continue, and as they do so, they provide a true hotbed of young talent.

The top flights of Sweden and Norway, in particular, are generally filled with young players who have the potential to become stars on the world stage. Increasingly, these leagues are becoming gateway destinations for young players coming out of Africa and taking their first footsteps in European football — as such, scouting and talent identification in Scandinavia is becoming more of a priority for intelligent clubs from across Europe.

In this article, we have used data analysis techniques to surface and identify some of the most interesting young talent currently playing in the Norwegian and Swedish top flights. While these players are not necessarily going to be “the next big thing” in moving to the biggest clubs, they are all players that we expect to see moving into more high-reputation leagues in the near future. We will use data in this piece to provide context around our analysis of the selected players.

Romeo Amane, 20-years-old, Central Midfielder, Hacken and Ivory Coast

The first player on our list is the perfect example of the pathway that currently exists for promising young players moving from Africa to the Scandinavian leagues. Romeo Amane is a 20-year-old central midfielder presently contracted to the Swedish champions Hacken. He is perhaps best categorised as an ‘8’ in that he is capable of contributing effectively in both the attacking and defensive phases of the game. However, he can also play comfortably as a ‘6’ on the deepest line of the midfield from where he can dictate the play.

Amane played initially for ASEC Mimosas in the Ivory Coast, a club with a strong talent development tradition, before moving to Sweden in 2021 to join Hacken. To this point, he has not played at senior level for the Ivory Coast, although it feels like just a matter of time before he takes that next step.

So far, in the 2023 Swedish season, Amane has played 1166 minutes in the Allsvenskan. As you can see from his pizza chart, he is at his strongest in the attacking and possession areas in terms of metrics although his defensive contribution is undoubtedly not nonexistent.

He is currently in the 72nd percentile for goal contributions per 90 and the 90th percentile for expected goal contributions. This means there is likely more to come for him regarding goals and assists.

This is further evidenced by the fact that his other underlying attacking metrics are so impressive as he is in the 78th percentile for shots per 90, the 91st percentile for dribbles per 90 and the 91st percentile for touches in the opposition area — very impressive outputs for a central midfielder.

In the possession phase, Amane’s game has two distinct sides. The first is his ability to retain and recycle possession of the ball, which is shown in the fact that he is in the 88th percentile for passes per 90 and the 88th percentile for pass accuracy. He is also a trusted teammate, as he is in the 89th percentile for passes received, showing that his teammates will tend to look for the young Ivorian when building the attack. He is also comfortable when looking to progress the ball and break lines and is in the 63rd percentile for both progressive passes per 90 and dangerous passes per 90.

Here, we see Amane’s pass map from the Allsvenskan in the 2023 season. As you can see, he is active across the entire pitch, as you might expect from a central midfielder who plays the role that he does in his side.

However, the left half-space in the opposition half is an area where we can see a lot of activity from Amane. In these positions, Amane is at his most dangerous when his team is building the attack and looking to penetrate the opposition area.

The next steps will be fascinating for Amane. Moving to the top tier of the Netherlands, to one of the big three clubs, or to France would make the most sense, although he has the profile and ability to perform very well in the Bundesliga or Serie A.

Sebastian Nanasi, 21-years-old, Winger, Malmo and Sweden

Next on our list is the 21-year-old Malmo attacker Sebastian Nanasi. The young attacker, who can play on either flank or through the centre as a 10, has had an excellent 2023 season so far, and at the time of writing, he has 14 goal involvements (eight goals and five assists) across 1716 minutes in the Allsvenskan.

Nanasi also has Hungarian nationality through his father, although he has already represented the senior national team for Sweden with two caps to his name. He initially developed in the youth academy at Kristianstad before moving in 2018 to join Malmo.

Loan moves to Varbergs BoIS and Kalmar FF followed to continue his development, but at this stage in his career, Nanasi is firmly established as one of the most critical players in the Malmo first team.

Despite playing primarily from the wide areas, Nanasi has almost become a playmaker for this Malmo side with his ability to receive the ball and then link the play to bring together the midfield and attacking units in the attacking phase. This is then, of course, supplemented by his superb output in terms of goal contributions.

Nanasi is currently, when compared to all wingers in the Allsvenskan, in the 65th percentile for goal contributions per 90 and the 70th percentile for expected goal contributions per 90.

As you can see from his profile, he is more prolific in terms of shots, 83rd percentile, and touches in the opposition area, 98th percentile, than he is in terms of dribbles, 63rd percentile.

He is not a typical wide player who will look to be direct in terms of engaging his direct opponent in 1v1 situations, but he will instead look for opportunities to combine in the final third.

His passing and progression metrics show a playmaker profile, as he is in the 95th percentile for passes per 90 and passing accuracy. He is also in the 97th percentile for received passes per 90 while he can progress the ball, and he sits in the 76th percentile for progressive passes per 90.

Here, we can see the shot map for Nanasi this season in the league. His shot locations are typically very good, with the majority of his shots coming from strong positions in the area and, typically, around the centre. He does have some low-value xG shots from outside the area, but not so many that you would consider this to be a problem.

His goals are almost all high xG chances, which suggests a good selection in terms of movement, positioning and shot locations.

The next steps for Nanasi will be interesting, although — and this may be a lazy suggestion — he has the kind of profile that would attract Brighton as a 10. However, his next step may be to Serie A with bright Italian sides becoming more active in the Swedish market.

Viktor Djukanovic, 19-years-old, Winger, Hammarby and Montenegro

Next up, we have the 19-year-old Montenegrin winger Viktor Djukanovic of Hammarby. The young left-sided attacker is predominantly right-footed, but he prefers to play from the left side from where he can cut in and attack diagonally towards the opposition goal when in the attacking phase.

He is a fast and direct ball carrier who has been Hammarby’s standout player so far in a relatively disappointing season.

Djukanovic came through the youth academy at Buducnost in his native Montenegro, where he made his senior debut at just 15 years old. There is a sense around him that he was almost destined to become a significant player.

In January of 2023, Hammarby paid a fee that was reported to be in the region of £1M to secure his services, although it is unlikely that they expected the young winger to have such a quick and decisive impact for them at first-team level.

At the time of writing, Djukanovic has six goals in the Allsvenskan in just 866 minutes. As you can see from his pizza chart, which indicates his profile, he is a ball-carrying winger in the 89th percentile for dribbles per 90 amongst wingers in the Swedish top flight.

While his outputs for goal contributions per 90, 47th percentile, and expected goal contributions per 90, 50th percentile, are still relatively low, the impressive outputs in his other underlying attacking metrics, 99th percentile for shots per 90 and 94th percentile for touches in the opposition area per 90, suggest that these should come up.

Here, we can see a map that shows the penetrating carries from Djukanovic so far this season in the Swedish top flight. As you can see, he is a dynamic left-sided player. Although he is strong when receiving in deeper areas and looking to progress in the wide areas, he is excellent in more advanced areas where he will look to cut inside to penetrate towards the opposition’s goal in a direct fashion.

While Djukanovic is still a relatively new addition to Hammarby, the club will likely not be against the idea of selling the Montenegrin international for a profit. While moving to Belgium or the Netherlands feels like a sensible next step, there has increasingly been a market for players moving from Sweden to the best teams in Denmark. Any of these could be viable options.

Sivert Mannsverk, 21-years-old, Central Midfielder, Molde and Norway

Next, we will discuss the 21-year-old Norwegian U21 international Sivert Mannsverk of Molde. He is similar to Amane, the first player on our list, in that he is capable of playing either as a ‘6’ or as an ‘8’ with his ability to dictate the rhythm of the game and to access all areas of the pitch through his incredible passing range.

Molde typically plays a 3-5-2 system in the Eliteserien this season. Mannsverk will usually either be the deepest player in the midfield or the pivot player who joins the more defensive and more attacking midfield players together.

While Mannsverk is impressing hugely at Molde, he developed initially at Sogndal before transferring to Molde in 2021 for a fee reported to be in the region of £1.75M. At the time of writing, he has represented Norway up to U21 level and been included in the senior international squad, although he has yet to make his first appearance at that level.

As you can see from his pizza chart, Mannsverk is a very balanced player who impresses across all areas of the game. The pizza chart shows his performance compared to other midfield players in the Eliteserien, and he is in the 82nd percentile for expected goal contributions, the 96th percentile for shots and the 85th percentile for dribbles per 90.

It is in the passing and progression area that Mannsverk really stands out, though. His passing volume and retention are good, as he is in the 89th percentile for shots per 90 and the 79th percentile for pass accuracy, but he is also a dangerous ball progressor, as you can see given that he is in the 79th percentile for progressive passes per 90 and the 84th percentile for dangerous passes per 90.

Mannsverk’s pass map shows how active he is across the entire pitch, although there tend to be more passes and more forward passes inside the opposition half of the pitch. It is really interesting to note that while we typically see midfield players show a preference to one side of the pitch over the other, given that it is often dictated by position, Mannsverk is just as active in the left and the right half-space when in the opposition half.

Mannsverk is a midfield player who would likely thrive in the transitional nature of the German Bundesliga, although smart Premier League clubs who are competing towards the bottom half of the table should also be aware of his qualities.

Albert Grønbæk, 22-years-old, Central Midfielder, Bodo/Glimt and Denmark

Over the past few seasons, Bodo/Glimt have emerged as one of the best teams in not only Norway but the whole of Scandinavia. Under the guidance of their highly coveted coach, Kjetil Knutsen, we have seen the club from the far north of the country develop a fluid and attacking style of play.

The latest young player to emerge in this system is the 22-year-old Danish U21 international Albert Grønbæk. He is a central midfielder who is much more effective and dangerous in the attacking phase, where he acts as an ‘8’ or even nearly a ‘10’ regarding his movement and attacking thrust.

Grønbæk is a product of the youth academy at AGF Aarhus in his native Denmark, and he played 75 times for the club before Bodo/Glimt signed him in August of 2022 for a fee that was reported to be in the region of £3.3M, a significant fee for a player moving from Denmark to Norway.

At the time of writing, Grønbæk has eight goals and three assists for Bodo across 1608 minutes in the Eliteserien, remarkable numbers for a central midfield player, although this is evidenced by the attacking output on his pizza chart.

As you can see, he is in the 89th percentile for goal contributions per 90 and the 98th percentile for expected goal contributions per 90.

These are high outputs, but as we can see, his underlying attacking metrics are equally impressive, as he is in the 98th percentile for shots per 90, the 97th percentile for dribbles per 90 and the 99th percentile for touches in the opposition area per 90.

For a central midfield player, one of the most interesting parts of Grønbæk’s game is his ability to carry the ball and create danger through penetrating runs in the final third.

As we can see from his progressive carry map, he is an exceptionally dangerous player when receiving the ball around the penalty area, with his ability to carry the ball into dangerous positions and to create danger towards the opposition goal.

A move to the French or Italian top-flights feels like a sensible next step for Grønbæk, and his interesting attacking output should translate well to those leagues.

Conclusion

Scandinavia remains one of the most diverse and rich environments in the development and identification of talented young players. We expect the five players highlighted here to move to more high-reputation leagues in the short term. However, their current clubs will be able to turn to their impressive recruitment pipeline to replace them when they finally do move on.