‘One of the biggest talents in the country’: Why Örebro star Elsa Pelgander could be set for a big January move – scout report

For Örebro DFF, 2023 has not been a year to remember, with them slipping back to within range of the Damallsvenskans relegation zone after a few seasons of increasing the distance between it and them and only staving off the drop to the Elitettan by four points in the end.

However, despite their mixed form and the disappointment of being so close to the trapdoor once again, there were positive aspects to their campaign that should be pointed out. One of those was undoubtedly the emergence of 17-year-old midfielder Elsa Pelgander, who came onto the scene in 2022 but who really established herself in the Örebro ranks during the most recent campaign. The strides that she has made to improve her game have not only aided Örebros fight to stay in the Damallsvenskan but have attracted the interests of several major names around Europe, with Barcelona Femení previously inviting her to train with them, whilst Juventus Femminile appear keen on a January approach for her services.

This tactical analysis will take a closer look at what makes her such an interesting talent, identifying the key characteristics in her play that Juventus, who are currently coached by ex-Arsenal Women manager Joe Montemurro, will benefit from and highlighting the role that she could play in the Italian sides tactics were she to move to the Juventus Training Centre (where the womens team play their home matches) when the window opens next month.

Protecting the defence

Whilst she can offer something in all areas of the field, as this scout report will show, Elsa Pelgander is predominantly a defensive midfielder who is at her best when protecting those behind her, and that is where Juventus will get the best out of her if they were to attract her to Serie A Femminile in January.

What they will particularly like about her is that she reads the game well and is constantly thinking ahead of those around her, meaning that she can take up good positions before the ball enters her vicinity. This was evident on plenty of occasions last season but was especially important in the match against Uppsala, with the opposing side continually looking to switch the play from wing to wing in their attempts to create space in the middle and to use combinations in the wide channels to keep Örebro guessing.

In this latest attack, that did initially have the desired effect, with Örebro unable to prevent the ball from being played behind their back line as the trio of Charlene Nowotny, Elin Rombing, and Beatrice Gärds combined to give Uppsala a great chance to transfer the ball into the middle. However, what they had not counted on here was Pelgander, with the midfielder reading what was going on and what would happen and dropping back early to ensure that she was in the right place at the right time to intercept the ball and to end the attack.

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