Celtic transfer linked Hannes Wolf scouted: Ange Postecoglou could unlock £8.5m 'press machine'

According to the German outlet Bild, Wolf is no longer in coach Adi Hutter’s plans and he is being targeted by a number of clubs including Celtic.

Wolf hasn’t had the greatest of times with Monchengladbach and has started the season in disappointing fashion.

He was one of the best youngsters in the Austrian Bundesliga at Red Bull Salzburg before making a £10.8 million to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2019. After finding minutes hard to come by at Leipzig, he was sent out to Borussia Monchengladbach on loan with an option to buy for £8.5 million. Gladbach triggered the clause this summer but things haven’t really gone to plan this season.

However, Wolf is still a very talented player in the final flush of his youth, ready to kickstart with a change of scene.

First, we will take a look at his basic profile.

Nationality: Austria

Age (DOB): 22-years-old (April 16, 1999) 

Position: Winger/Attacking midfielder

Preferred Foot: Left

Transfermarkt Market Value: £4.5 million

The 22-year old Austrian is a winger or attacking midfielder who loves drifting into central areas very often. Despite coming up short at Gladbach, Wolf was a star performer for Salzburg in Austria. We will have a look at his creative data in the Bundesliga for the last calendar year. His numbers are compared with attacking midfielders and wingers in the Scottish Premiership and also Celtic’s Jota, Abada and Turnbull (the white diamonds).

As evident from the visualization, it is safe to say that the Austrian has had issues with his creative side of the game in Germany. He clocked just 1192 minutes last year and could not impose himself in games creatively. His output has not been the greatest either with just 2 goal contributions to his name (1 goal, 1 assist).

Despite the below-average numbers, he has the potential to scale that side of his game in the Premiership.

Wolf was much more potent and posted outstanding numbers during his time at Salzburg. In the 2018/19 season, he scored 13 and assisted nine times in all competitions at 0.59 goal contributions per 90. A step down from the Bundesliga and a change of scene could get him delivering again. When he is down the flanks, especially the left side, his low crossing is a real weapon. He looks up to scan before making those low crosses into the box, in high threat areas. The picture below is a classic example of the same.

Statsbomb lists Hannes Wolf as 59% left-footed and it is quite evident that he is ambidextrous. He can get clean strikes with his left foot, preferring using his laces. He can do it with his right foot as well, often trying to place the ball by opening the face of his weaker foot. His movements are impressive where he tries to get into the box often and be at the right place at the right time.

Although he doesn’t have an electric burst of pace to beat players, he does make use of his decent dribbling ability. In addition, he is quite impressive in tight spaces, managing to beat the press or tight marking. One of the things that he has developed in the Bundesliga is to turn and get away from strong defenders or markers.

The above is his career heatmap and you can see how much he prefers operating in those halfspaces. His link-up play was supreme during his time at Salzburg and his intelligence off the ball also stood out. There is an argument to be made that he excels when given the freedom to roam in those central areas.

He loves to keep the ball close to his feet but he struggles to get it to stick to him when receiving in pressure situations. His first touch could be improved, mainly for passes coming with pace.

His ability to dribble in short distances and his natural capacity with the feet helps him win a fair amount of fouls. However, Wolf’s strengths are mainly out of possession. Despite posting weaker numbers on the ball he poses real strength with respect to his work off the ball.

The Austrian is a press machine and ranks in the 98th percentile in the last calendar year compared with attacking midfielders and wingers from the Top 5 European leagues (via Statsbomb). His aggressiveness would be a valuable asset from a Celtic point of view. In addition, one can find him winning back loose balls quite often as well. He tends to offer defensive support for the full-back and wins a fair amount of tackles. This does come at a price wherein he gives away a lot of fouls. It isn’t a negative when you look at it broadly, however, he does make silly fouls in attacking areas for his team, killing off threats.

The images below sums up Wolf’s abilities out of possession in a single move. As Bayern pushed the ball down their right flank to the full-back, Wolf sensed an opportunity to win back the ball and force a turnover. He manages to do that and create a shot opportunity for his team.

Despite his evident flaws and an unfortunate period of late, Hannes Wolf would be the kind of signing that Celtic should be bringing in.

He is a brilliant fit for Ange Postecoglou’s style and would offer a lot out of possession. A change in scene and Ange’s ability to get the best out of players would unlock Wolf.

A possible loan with an option to buy for around £4 million would be a bargain.