The Nygren Paradigm: Analyzing the Rush for Young Scandinavian Talent

When Benjamin Nygren completed his move to Celtic FC in June 2025, at 23 years old you could be forgiven for thinking this was an up-and-coming prospect from the Danish league finally making the jump to the big stage.

This, however, would be far from the truth.

By moving to Scotland the Gothenburg-born, Swedish youngster was in fact completing the fourth permanent transfer of an already busy career. And the move is one that perfectly captures the recent trend of Scandinavian talent making increasingly earlier moves abroad at younger and younger stages of their careers.

In doing so, it also demonstrates both the benefits - and pitfalls - of such rapid moves, and why Scandinavian players and those advising footballers in general need to think strategically in an era where video scouting and data makes players so rapidly identifiable and accessible.

Nygren was a rising star of Swedish football when he emerged through IFK Göteborg’s academy in 2018, quickly propelled into the spotlight after excellent form at youth level translated immediately to signs of immense promise at senior level.

Nygren made his IFK league debut in October 2018 at the back end of the 2018 season, and performed so well that he became an automatic starter for the club heading into the 2019 campaign.

By July of the same year, he was gone. Sold to KRC Genk after just 15 league appearances for €3.7 million euros.

In a blog for this very website in 2019, I wrote that “it would be good to see Benjamin stay in Sweden and continue his development for another year or so.” But the harsh realities of the time dictated this was not possible - IFK Göteborg needed to sell, Genk had seen enough evidence to pay, and that was that. Deal done.

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It is almost bewildering to look back now at this rapid rise and realise that all this took place while Nygren was still only 17. He had not even passed his driving test, and admitted in an interview that he felt at home at IFK, in his home city. He may not even have wanted to leave, yet this is the emerging trend in Swedish, Scandinavian and indeed perhaps modern football in general. Get the data, get the evidence you need via video or in-game scouting, and get the player signed.

The move did not work out. Nygren made just seven appearances for Genk in Belgium - even less than the fifteen that earned him the multimillion pound move there. He was subsequently sold at a major loss two and a half years later to Danish outfit FC Nordsjaelland, where he has since rebuilt his career.

After 15 goals in 30 Superliga games last season and a move to the Scottish champions, Nygren is again on an upward trajectory – albeit after a more roundabout route than initially expected.

The following sequence of play from Hudl Wyscout demonstrates his technical quality, ball-carrying ability, lightness on his feet, awareness of space, and capacity to produce a moment of magic with his accuate left foot:

This is a story that can be seen as a rising trend in Scandinavia. There are many such examples: Jens Petter Hauge springs to mind. He made a lot more appearances at Bodo Glimt in fairness, dazzling in Norway before a mega-move to AC Milan in 2020 at just 20 years old. Again he was not quite successful, and is now thriving back home in Norway at Glimt and young enough for another tilt abroad.

But what is causing this trend of clubs taking a punt on young Scandinavian talent? It’s simple, a growing army of European scouts are using video scouting to monitor Norway, Sweden and Denmark these days and it does not take long to garner their attention.

Part of the reason for this swell of interest is the growing talent pool in these regions. Successes at youth level - Sweden won the U21 European Championships in 2015, for example - and in youth development in general have helped create a number of dynamic, attractive talents in the region that can play a modern style of football that appeals to scouts in bigger leagues.

As such, teams are willing to shell out sizeable fees to secure the best young talent in the region. Sebastian Nanasi, who moved from Malmö FF to France at 22 years old for a record €11 million euros, and Hugo Larsson, who also broke the Allsvenskan record with a transfer to German giants Eintracht Frankfurt from Malmö a year earlier in 2023 at 19 years of age for €9 million, are other examples.

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And with extensive coverage of the U17 and U19 versions of the Swedish Allsvenskan and Norwegian OBOS Nasjonal included in the Wyscout Youth Pack, clubs from around the world are able to see those exciting talents at a younger age.

Backed with video evidence, scouts are able to make more informed decisions on youth talent, as they look to beat the competition and act before they are hit with the rising cost of in-demand Scandinavian talent.

Sindre Walle Egeli is a prime example. Having excelled at youth level for club and country, Nordsjaelland moved quickly to sign the goal-scoring winger at the age of 15. Now 19, Walle Egeli provided nine goals and five assists in the Danish Superliga last term and is valued at €15 million, as per Transfermrkt.

Aside from reinforcing the excellent youth development work being done at Nordsjaelland, Walle Egeli’s pathway acts as a more linear progression than former teammate Nygren and shows that an early move can work – provided the right landing spot is found.

Alongside the increased visibility and talent on display, the success stories - particularly in centre forward positions - has shifted perceptions of the type of young talent that emerges from Scandinavia.

Alexander Isak, Erling Haaland, and Viktor Gyökeres are three of the most sought-after strikers in world football and this is no doubt opening up to the talent waiting to be discovered, as well as the benefit of getting there before it’s too late.

Bolstering the native talent pool in Scandinavia, how and from where these clubs source players themselves is also adding an extra dimension to the trend of teams looking to the region for young talent.

Countries like Norway, Denmark and Sweden are becoming increasingly recognised as destinations for young African talent, and many players from the African continent, particularly west African nations such as Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana move to countries such as Sweden and Norway early, are developed and then consequently sold on for a profit.