Wonderkid Watch

Wonderkid Watch - Elye Wahi

 
 

by MaddFM.

19 goals and 6 assists in 30 odd games for a 20-year-old playing for a team who finished 12th in Ligue 1 isn’t a bad way to announce yourself as an elite prospect within Europe’s Top 5 leagues, and that’s exactly what Elye Wahi has accomplished this season, averaging a goal every 130 minutes for Montpellier which led to him finishing among the league’s top scorers as well as winning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award.

French youth football enthusiasts may not be surprised by this with Wahi jumping to notoriety as a 14-year-old at Caen wherein he scored 89 goals in the 2016/2017 season across their U14 and U15 teams, and a move to Montpellier swiftly followed a year later before signing his first professional contract in 2019.

 

A young Wahi @ Caen Youths vs PSG

 

Fast forward a few seasons and Wahi has hit back-to-back double figures in Ligue 1 for Montpellier, and recently became the second youngest player to hit the 25-goal milestone in the French top tier behind (wouldn’t you know it), Kylian Mbappé.

In terms of playing style, Wahi has proven himself to not only be a lethal finisher but also has a unique ability to score all types of goals be it short-range finishing, headers, volleys or shots from long-distance (very much illustrated by his 19 league goals versus an 11.88 XG, second only to Folarin Balogun). He uses his pace and athleticism to make direct runs into channels, frequently cutting inside and showing instinctive off the ball movement to terrorise opposition defenders; he also shows no fear in taking on a player and is equally adept with the ball at his feet, clearly evident through some of the goals scored this season.

 
 

His progress and rapid ascent this season has been remarkable in terms of impact and confidence as a natural goal-scorer, and he shot to worldwide fame in an epic encounter between Montpellier and Lyon wherein he scored 4 goals either side of half-time in a game which saw Lyon emerge 5-4 winners courtesy of a 90+10 minute penalty from Alexandre Lacazette.

 
 

In FM23, Wahi starts out as a 19-year-old with already strong all-round attributes for a striker, readily available for first-team football at Montpellier or even at most mid-tier clubs across Europe’s Top 5 leagues; already valued between 20 and 29 million euros with a contract until Summer 2025, he will not be easy to attain however if you find yourself with an excess of cash, you are looking at a VERY wise investment for what will likely be your future #9 for many years to come.

 
 

15 Pace & Acceleration, 14 Finishing, 14 Off the Ball, 14 Technique..not bad for a 19-year-old no? We all know that Football Manager gets it right 99% of the time - but the fact that he already has “Attempts Overhead Kicks” as a Player Trait from the start of the game is taking the piss surely…

 
 

In my own save at HFC Haarlem where we have reached the year 2030, Wahi has quite simply evolved to become one of the best Strikers in the game. After managing to hold onto him for 7 seasons during which he scored 135 league goals in 251 appearances, he was signed by Real Madrid for for a cool €86 million and looks to be worth every penny as he scored 17 goals in 23 appearances either side of a 3 month hip injury, not to mention winning the World Cup 2030 Golden Ball as his 8 goals and 2 assists helped France win their third ever Jules Rimet trophy following a 2-0 final win over Austria (yep).

 
 
 
 

Overall verdict: Elye Wahi is one hell of a wonderkid, both in real life where his performances this season have resulted in the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan all rumoured to be considering a bid for the Frenchman’s services this transfer window, as well as in FM23 where he is one of the top young strikers in the game and has the potential to reach elite status in any save universe. Guaranteed goal scorers are becoming rarer and rarer when it comes to Football Manager, however if you find yourself in need of a striker and with the means to spend big, you’ll do well to find a better prospect in this year’s game. Let us know if you have had Wahi in your save or if you have experienced him from the opposition bench this year in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info.

Wonderkid Watch - Andreas Schjelderup

 
 

by @afmoldtimer

This is possibly both the hardest and the easiest article to write about one of the top wonderkids in Football Manager this year. Why? What hasn’t already been said about Andreas Schjelderup? In doing research on this piece, there are so many articles out there already about this FM23 wonderkid, and most of them aren’t even about his exploits in the game.

The 18-year-old Norwegian is yet to achieve an international cap, but it feels like it could only be a matter of time should he break through at Benfica. Already twice capped at U21 level, he has impressed scouts at all the major European sides, and Schjelderup reportedly turned down a host of elite clubs in favour of a move to the Portuguese giants.

 
 

Signed by the Lisbon-based side in January of this year from Danish title contenders FC Nordsjælland, Schjelderup had mostly played as either an inside forward on the left-hand-side or as a false nine in the Superligaen. Over the 2022-23 season, he scored 10 goals in 17 appearances, including three penalties, telling the teams in the bigger leagues that he was ready for the next step.

 

Career stats to date (Source: BeSoccer.com)

 

So far he has only made one substitute appearance in the first-team, coming on in the last minute of an away game against Marítimo. However, he has recently been named on the bench in the Champions League games against Club Brugge and Internazionale - being registered in Benfica’s Champions League squad at the age of 18 perhaps isn’t unusual given their business model, but that’s more common if you are Portuguese national or perhaps Brazilian. To make this step as a Norwegian is no mean feat, even if he hasn’t played yet.

For someone so young, he's not afraid to make big moves. He left FK Bodø/Glimt, his hometown team having grown up in Bodø before even making a senior appearance. It's obviously impossible to know the road not traveled, but you probably can't deny that leaving to be part of the FC Nordsælland youth team before being fast-tracked to first team minutes has rapidly enabled him to develop into the player he has thus far become.

Whilst at FC Nordsjælland, Schjelderup was either protected from being over-played, or needed to work on his stamina/natural fitness, having only completed ninety minutes twice over seventeen games. If it’s the former and he is being protected, then this was shrewd from the FC Nordsjælland management team - avoiding any early injuries to a player at a tender age can actually aid their development, and avoids them being burnt out (see Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney). He never missed a matchday at FC Nordsjælland in the 2022-23 season in the time that he was there - giving him time on the pitch to continue to develop his game.

A tricky inside forward, he looks to play in a direct, fast fashion. He will happily take on his opponent, either with a piece of skill through his quick feet and dribbling ability, or by looking to make a progressive pass. His passing ability is backed up by his vision - he has honed his play to be able to recognise the attacking runs of his teammates and the defensive fragility of the opposition. He also has the technique to pull off his flair and passing, and is able to finesse the ball with ease.

In FM23 - well, see for yourself..we are looking at an 18-year-old that is already primed for first-team football, possessing excellent technical skills and bags of room & potential to develop rapidly in-game.

 
 

In terms of player traits, Schjelderup looks to cut inside from the left wing. Any video clip you see of Schjelderup on YouTube will tell you the SI researchers have been astute in their work with this, though I'd be keen to add more to his game than just that sole trait (see his 2029 player profile below for some that I and the AI have added before and after I became Bayer 04 Leverkusen manager).

He will need training on his physicals, with the lack of completion of games reflected in his stamina attribute. His balance is also something of a concern given his dribbling ability, but again, this is something that can be worked on in his positional and additional training programme.

 
 

It is perhaps no surprise that he has taken extra steps away from regular training to improve his abilities. His use of technology to improve his play was shared by the technical director at FC Nordsælland, Flemming Pedersen, helping him to make more calculated decisions when playing. This has likely helped his anticipation and composure, being able to play the ball that he wants to play, or take on an opponent when the time is right to do so because he has already played out the situation in his mind hundreds of times, but without putting his body through the physical strain of that level of intense training.

Benfica's training systems may well have been what appealed to him, as they have elaborate, state-of-the-art training systems using technology to help players to improve their agility, first touch, passing, vision, and decision-making.

Given that Benfica have been part of the pathway for the likes of Darwin Núñez, João Félix, Enzo Fernández and Rúben Dias to name a few, it’s likely that Schjelderup saw the opportunity to move to a larger European side, with the idea of being able to work his way through their set-up in order to establish himself on a larger stage. With the oligopolistic nature of Portuguese football, enabling Benfica to qualify regularly for Champions League football, Schjelderup is backing both his talents and Benfica's dominance alongside Porto and Sporting that this is where he can make a breakthrough.

Whilst his move will mean that signing Schjelderup will be off the table in the initial stages of a new save, he’s certainly not someone that you want to sleep on if you are playing as a manager at a top-level side and you are looking for a youth option. His versatility, skillset and high ceiling will likely make him an attractive option despite the considerably higher asking price for him compared to when he was at FC Nordsjælland upon the release of Football Manager 2023.

With the right game time, coaching, training and facilities, Schjelderup can develop into an elite wide player, as seen below for my Bayer 04 Leverkusen side. I was fortunate to arrive at Bayer 04 with Schjelderup already in the playing squad.

 
 

If you're able to sign him as a team who are in but not really competing to win the Champions League, expect him to be wanted by those clubs that are particularly based on his in-game potential. Equally, anticipate he'll likely want a minimum fee release clause to increase the chances of him achieving that big move, should your league permit such an addition to the contract. His ambitious nature will mean that he will look to move his career to the highest he can achieve - and with the right guidance, it could be higher still than Benfica.

Time will tell, and highlight reels on YouTube are an appalling way to scout a player, but if the eye test is anything like the highlights then Norway are set for an exciting time ahead with Haaland, Ødegaard and potentially Schjelderup leading their attacking line in the near future 🔥.

Thanks for reading.

If you enjoyed this then you best head over to @afmoldtimer’s excellent Football Manager blog where you can find some of the best FM content out there which combines data and metric analysis with excellent save narrative and insight - you won’t regret it 👌.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info.

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