Who is Andreas Schjelderup? Benfica tap into Norwegian talent pipeline for attacking reinforcements

Among most valuable born in 2004 

The Danish Superligaen has lost their most valuable player. Forward Andreas Schjelderup has left FC Nordsjælland and joined Portuguese giants Benfica. According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano Schjelderup will cost €14 million, and the Danish league leaders will receive 20% of any future transfer. 

That fee, which will not include any further add-ons, makes the left-winger one of the ten most expensive Norwegian players in history. Man City star Erling Haaland tops the ranking. Nordsjælland received the second-biggest transfer fee in club history. Schjelderup, who joined the Danish club in 2020, has signed a contract until 2028 at Benfica. 

It is a transfer coupe for Benfica. The Portuguese giants have beaten several European top clubs to the signature of the 18-year-old top talent. The club most interested in the Norwegian U19 national team player was Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp tried to sign the winger last summer. Other clubs interested were Arsenal, Dortmund, Sevilla, Inter Milan, and Juventus. But one of the brightest talents in European football opted to join Roger Schmidt’s side instead. 

Schjelderup: Benfica have refound their scouting form 

Benfica securing the best goalscorer in Denmark—Schjelderup has scored ten goals in 10 games—at a young age very much fits in the club’s transfer strategy. “It’s representative of how Benfica’s scouting has found their form again of late,” Benfica expert and host of Rabona TV Adrian Sousa said to Transfermarkt. “Benfica had a golden age of scouting where we were signing names like David Luiz, and Ángel Di María on the cheap from South America, but they lost their way a bit recently even if they found a massive talent in Enzo Fernández.”

Sousa believes that the addition of midfielder Fredrik Aursnes may have opened the door to the Scandinavian market. “Scandinavia is not a typical market for Benfica to explore, but it appears Aursnes was a harbinger of what’s to come,” Sousa said. 

Born in Bodø, the forward was the biggest winner of the recent Danish market value update. Schjelderup saw his market value increase by €5m to €9m, which makes him the most valuable player in the Superligaen together with Midtjylland’s Evander, who will join Portland Timbers on Jan. 31, and Anders Dreyer. It also underlines the immense talent of the 18-year-old winger, who ranks among the ten most valuable players born in 2004 (overview).

Schjelderup: What can he add to Benfica?

But what can he add to Benfica? “Schjelderup looks like a very technically proficient player, who should fit right into our attack, either centrally or on the wing,” Sousa said. Sousa, however, added that there might be some growing pain for the winger as he competes for playing time with the likes of Rafa Silva, João Mário, Julian Draxler, Gonçalo Ramos, and his compatriot Aursnes. 

“Schmidt has consistently rewarded players for good performances no matter their previous reputation in the club or their age,” Sousa added. “Players like Chiquinho having a resurgence at Benfica or the 19-year-old Antonio Silva gaining his trust speak to that, so you can assume that Schjelderup will be given the same sort of opportunities to prove his worth.

A quick look at Schjelderup’s underlying stats highlights the player’s potential. Although the Norwegian forward has a Goalimpact of just 88.3 at the moment—a number that ranks him significantly below the top four league average—Schjelderup’s peaked at 136.6, which would put him in the top class category (read more on Goalimpact here). 

Schjelderup to Benfica: Goalimpact numbers underline potential 

Schjelderup’s Wyscout numbers underline that impact. The Norwegian striker not only led the league in goals but was also third in progressive runs made per 90 minutes (3.88). Only Lubambo Musando (Horsens, 5.35) and Mohamed Daramy (Copenhagen, 4.9) were more prolific in that category. Schjelderup’s 27 deep completions put him just behind Copenhagen’s Viktor Claesson (37). 

Perhaps the only question is whether Schjelderup will maintain his incredible goalscoring pace in Portugal. Not only will the Norwegian play in a better league, but the 18-year-old has already outperformed his xG of 6.61 this season. Therefore, a slight recession in his output will have to be expected. Still, the decision-makers at Benfica will be aware of that risk and factored in the player’s overall development. 

With all that in mind, even if Schjelderup’s numbers drop, the Norwegian is a wunderkind, and Benfica’s track record of developing talent means that the winger will eventually continue his upward trend. Because, make no mistake, the right-footed attacker is one of the most promising attacking players in European football and could have a similar development to Fernández in that he will be on the radar of the biggest clubs quickly.

Homepage