10 Superliga Players To Watch: 2023/24 Edition
Photo: Lars Rønbøg
In what is becoming a tradition, every summer I put together a list of ten players you need to watch in the upcoming season. To seasoned Superliga viewers these names won’t come as a surprise, but for scouts, casual observers and analysts this list should give you an idea of where to focus your attention.
Out of last year’s 10 to watch list, 9 have moved clubs since publication and 7 of those were to clubs abroad (the two who moved within the Superliga moved to FC København and Brøndby, two of the biggest clubs in the region).
So without further ado, here’s 10 to watch for 2023/24…
Elias Jelert (20), RB/LB, FC København.
At the start of last season if you’d asked FC København fans who the most promising young full back at the club was, you would have likely heard the name Victor Kristiansen. Kristansen’s superb performances down the left flank earned him a move to (then) Premier League side Leicester City in January 2023, for a not-insignifcant fee of around €15m. But elsewhere in the champions’ squad another full-back was turning heads. Elias Jelert’s season began with mostly substitute performances, his ability to play on both flanks made him a valuable part of an FCK squad with a number of key injuries, but it was after Jess Thorup was replaced by Jacob Neestrup that Jelert’s role was elevated, playing the majority of the season at right-back and beating out competition from two far more experienced players in Kevin Diks and Peter Ankersen. His ability to overlap and contribute offensively saw him clock up 1 goal and 5 assists in the league campaign, whilst his defensive solidity meant he was trusted in the most important games, including the Champions League group stage where he clocked up 4 appearances.
Jelert’s maturity and reading of the game belies a player who is only 20 years old and his versatility makes him an incredible asset in an era when full-back has become arguably the most important position on the pitch. I think he has at most 6-12 months more at FC København before a move of similar size and stature to Kristensen’s. Enjoy him while you can, Jelert is a future star and having already been called up to the Kasper Hjumland’s main squad I can see him becoming a fixture for the national team in years to come.
2. Ernest Nuamah (19), FWD, FC Nordsjælland.
When Kamaldeen Sulemana left FC Nordsjælland for Rennes in the summer of 2021, few people believed FCN already had a ready-made replacement for arguably the best player in the league. But sure enough, Simon Adingra stepped in and in his debut season produced a sensational display of attacking verve, so much so that he was snapped up by Premier League side Brighton. He spent last season on loan at Belgian club USG, where he hit the ground running and never let up. When Adingra departed in 2022 similar questions were raised as to whether a player of his importance could be replaced with only internal solutions. But come the first game of the season an exciting, young Ghanaian winger by the name of Ernest Nuamah stepped in and never looked back. I was lucky enough to be at one of his first games for FCN, at home to Viborg where his speed, close control and ability to beat a man made him a constant threat. He finished the season - at least in my eyes - as the standout player in the entire league. No mean feat for a teenager in his debut season. His end product was outrageous, with 12 goals and 4 assists, to propel an FCN team who were fighting relegation the season before to the verge of a title. He created 8 big chances per game and 2.8 successful dribbles per game (7th & 8th in the league respectively) and on top of that topped the charts for big chances missed, with 12. This should be a sign of just what a protagonist he could be and how much potential remains depsite the incredibly high levels he’s already shown. I’d be absolutely staggered if he was still at FC Nordsjælland in 6 months - I’m no scout but the obviousness of his talent is absolutely crystal clear and the maturity he displays on and off the pitch suggest he’s got an amazing future in the game.
3. Håkon Evjen (23), MID, Brøndby.
Sometimes a big move comes too quickly for a player - just look at Mohammed Daramy’s move to Ajax, followed by a backwards step to FC København to recapture the magic he once had. The young Norwegian technician Håkon Evjen, who burst onto the scene with Bodø/Glimt in Norway, secured a high profile move to Dutch size AZ Alkmaar aged 20 and progressed through to the first team. For many this would be seen as a success in itself but such was the hype around Evjen that even this wasn’t enough. He found himself at a crossroads and in January 2023 moved to Brøndby to reignite his career. In a team that finished the season with few redeeming qualities, Evjen began to establish himself, starting the majority of games and contributing 2 goals and 3 assists in 15 games. With a full pre-season and some new additions in the transfer window, I’m expecting Evjen to flourish again and start to realise some of his vast potential. Brøndby’s system allows for a number 10 and although teammate Nicolai Vallys has all the attributes to thrive in that role, deploying Evjen there with Vallys in a wide position looks to have the greatest chance of getting the best out of both players.
4. Anton Gaaei (20), RB, Viborg.
Viborg’s success over the past few seasons has depended on the undoubted attacking potency of Christian Sørensen down the left hand side. But with Sørensen departing for FC København at the end of the summer 2022 window, the full-back spotlight shifted to the other side of the pitch, with young right-back Anton Gaaei turning heads with his ability in both attacking and defensive phases. He thrived in Jacob Friis’ 4-3-3 system, overlapping in attack and proving to be one of the best full backs in the league for his crossing, most often low and driven. He ended the season with 5 assists but his 0.7 key passes per game and 0.16xG per game put him comfortably within the 80th percentile for the league and he finished joint 2nd in terms of big chances created with 11. But far from being just an attacking weapon for Viborg, what was so impressive about Gaaei was his ability at the other end of the pitch, thriving in one-on-one situations and engaging in 7.8 duels per game with a 67% success rate. With big target man Anosike Ementa arriving from AaB and Elias Achouri giving defenders nightmares on the opposite flank, there’s every chance Gaaei’s output increases next season and Viborg will have a long line of suitors from beyond Denmark’s shores when he decides to fly the nest.
5. Ohi Omoijuanfo (29), FWD, Brøndby.
‘10 To Watch’ normally features u23 players but I allow myself the odd exception. Last season was Christian Sørensen and this season it’s Brøndby’s big Norwegian number 9 Ohi Omoijuanfo. At 6ft2, he’s an imposing figure but more than his physique, what impressed me about his debut season in Denmark was his movement and positioning. So often he managed to peel off and find space in the box to finish a cross and by the end of the Superliga season he had become every defender’s nightmare. He produced 13 goals in 2022/23, which already looks like a conservative estimate for next season, and encouragingly it tracked with his xG of 13.6. He also had the highest xg/90 in the league with 0.62 and could have bettered his tally if he hadn’t also ranked so highly in big chances missed with 11. That combination of intelligent movement and physique give me the impression he could mix it fairly comfortably in a higher profile league - the English Championship or Belgium for example - but if he remains at Brøndby I wouldn’t rule him out as a golden boot contender, with the likes of Evjen & Vallys buzzing around creating chances, Ohi looks set for another big season leading the line at Brøndby.
6. Filip Bundgaard Kristensen (19), MID/FWD, Randers.
With captain and attacking talisman Vito Hammershøy-Mistrati departing last summer, Filip Bundgaard stepped up and showed the league what a force he could be for Randers. At only 19 years of age, what struck me was how direct he was, with the ability to receive the ball and, with a deft first touch, drive with it to take on defenders, with the additional threat of a shot from distance. Time and time again he was a player Randers could trust to receive the ball in the middle third, drifting inside from a position on the left wing, and immediately progressing it into the attacking third with speed and aggression. He finished the season with 4 goals and 2 assists, a decent return for a player his age but those stats only tell part of the story of why he was such a key figure for Randers in 2022/23. Bundgaard’s tireless work off the ball meant only two players in the entire league bettered his 1.3 final third possessions won per 90 minutes as Randers finished 5th under new manager Rasmus Bertelsen. My feeling is that Bundgaard’s next move may be within the Superliga but I have no doubt that his talent could take him far beyond if he continues to deliver the kind of performances he showed last season.
7. Elias Achouri (24), FWD, Viborg.
If you’re looking for exciting, eye-catching Superliga players, you need look no further than Elias Achouri. The Tunisian winger has taken the league by storm, looking like an Alexis Sanchez regen down the left flank for Viborg and making even experienced full backs appear amateur at times. He ranks 1st in the league for successful dribbles per game (4) whilst on the other side of the ball he ranks 2nd in the league for possessions won per game (1.4). That combination of technical ability and work rate has been a cornerstone of Jacob Friis’ Viborg but even in a season with multiple exceptional performers, Achouri’s light shone the brightest. Blisteringly direct, with a low centre of gravity, standout speed and incredible technique it’s perhaps no wonder he finished the season with 6 goals and 5 assists - end product in spades. There has been talk of FC København being interested in bringing him to capital - the carrot of an inevitable league title challenge and the possibility of Champions League football, especially with a Mohammed Daramy shaped hole on the left wing may lure him in, but my sense is that a club from France or the Netherlands would be mad to pass up on his talent. A special player and we may only be scratching the surface of what he is capable of.
8. Lucas Hey (20), DEF, Lyngby.
Lyngby in 2022/23 was a remarkable story of survival against the odds. And whilst the Great Escape masterminded by Freyr Alexandersson was very much a team effort, one young defender’s performances stood out as exceptional. Players like Adamo Nagalo and Yann Bisseck have demonstrated the value of a modern centreback who can combine size and physicality with an ability on the ball more akin to a central midfielder. At 6ft2 and with an already well developed range of passing, Lucas Hey has both, combined with a maturity and ability to read the game beyond many players his age. A right footer, Hey is usually deployed as a left-sided CB and often looks to pass into the channel between opposing CB and RB to find a wide player cutting inside. He’s comfortable receiving the ball under pressure - his passing ability and good close control enable him to avoid the press and he has no problem carrying the ball into the middle third of the pitch from defence to help build attacks. If there is any criticism of him, it’s one that is normal for a player of his age, but his decision making can sometimes be overly rushed, perhahps a consequence of the high stakes scenario Lyngby found themselves in last season. Nevertheless another year in the Superliga where Lyngby will once again be relegation favourites will provide ample opportunities for Hey to test his abilities and grow as a player under a young, dynamic coach.
9. Aral Simsir (21), FWD, FC Midtjylland.
At 21, the FC Midtjylland winger has represented Denmark at practically every youth level before switching to Turkey and being capped for the U21s. At club level, he’s already proven himself to be a scorer of great goals, perfectly evidenced by his incredible curled strike against Odense towards the end of the season, but with the abilities he possess it won’t be long before he’s adding quantity to quality. Under Thomas Thomasberg, Simsir seems to have found the ideal tactical system for his talents - deployed either as an inverted left winger or as a number 10 with a bigger, more physical number 9 to play off and speedy wingers to both draw defenders and provide a target for through balls. Simsir’s brilliant dribbling and close control enable him to receive the ball in the middle third and drive forwards, drawing defenders in and opening up space. He likes to drift to the left and can often be found occupying the left half-space in a role that make it easy to draw parallels with Anders Schjelderup. Defenders are almost damned if they do and damned if they don't: if they stand off him he’s shown he can punish them with shots (and goals) from distance; if they dive in he has the guile to skip past them or, at worst, win a foul in a dangerous area. 2 goals and 7 assists is a fantastic return for Simsir on a team that spent the season in turmoil, with 3 managers and some significant outgoing transfers to contend with. Thomasberg brings a level of stability which should help get the best out of Simsir, who will begin next season as a key part of the first team in Herning.
10. Anosike Ementa (21), FWD, Viborg.
The final entry in this year’s 10 To Watch is very much a wildcard in that of all the names, he is the one who is most of a work-in-progress. At 6ft7 Ementa is impossible to miss but unlike other players of his size, he has not only length but also strength and a burst of speed which add up to make him a real handful for defenders. He’s not just a long-ball threat either, his ability with the ball at his feet, whilst not his most developed trait, is certainly not bad. Frustratingly, Ementa has yet to find a way to bring together all of his abilities to become more than the sum of their parts (in fact some may argue he is yet to even reach just the sum of his parts). 2022/23 was a wretched campaign for AaB, one of the historic powerhouses of Danish football, who saw themselves relegated for the first time in the club’s history. They went through a succession of forwards, including Ementa and the previous season’s golden boot winner Nicklas Helenius, without success. In fact Ementa finished the season with zero goals, despite a bright start to the season against reigning champions FC København, a game that convinced me he would be a real threat over the season. Viborg have built a reputation on smart player recruitment and development - just look at the likes of Elias Achouri, Anton Gaaei, Nicolas Bürgy, Justin Lonwijk and Jay-Roy Grøt for recent examples, so the fact they decided to move for Ementa tells you a lot about the regard he is held in. Jacob Friis likes to use a big number 9 in his system and there is no doubt that in that role Ementa will get plenty of service. It’s up to him to grasp the opportunity with both hands, but should he find a way to get the goals to come and the confidence to return, it could be a frightening prospect for the rest of the league. Of all 10 picks, he’s the one I’m least confident on, but most excited about, because of the rare combination of assets he has to work with. It’s all down to him now to make good on that promise but one thing is for certain - he couldn’t have found a better envionment than Viborg to make it happen.
Stats: OPTA / FotMob
