Who Is Hannes Wolf?
Red Bull Salzburg have dominated the Austrian Bundesliga since being taken over by the Red Bull group in 2005; they have won nine league titles and five Austrian cups in the thirteen years since the takeover.
RB Salzburg has also become a fertile breeding ground for young players, whose mettle and quality are tested in the lower-pressure surroundings of Austria before being transplanted to sister club RB Leipzig in Germany.
Bernardo, Dayot Upamecano and Naby Keita are just three examples of young players who moved from Salzburg to Leipzig in recent years, and in the case of Bernardo and Keita, then went on to secure a big transfer to a Premier League club.
19-year-old Austrian playmaker Hannes Wolf may be the next wunderkind to follow this path to European and global stardom.
Wolf rose to prominence a couple of seasons ago, when he was the central force behind Salzburgs first-ever win of the European Youth League.
The playmaker scored seven goals in seven games and assisted both goals in the final against Benfica.
On their way to the final, they also overcame Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City.
His displays earned him his senior debut for the club that season, but Wolf truly made his mark the following year.
Wolf scored 12 goals and assisted eight more in 45 appearances in the 2017/18 campaign. Salzburg won the Bundesliga and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, their best-ever European campaign.
His form earned him a maiden call-up for the senior international side last year, and there have been rumours linking him to Premier League side, Everton, ahead of the new season.
We will now have an in-depth analysis of Wolfs playing style and his strengths and weaknesses.
Hannes Wolf Position
Hannes Wolf is a versatile player, but his preferred role is that of a number 10, as the image below shows.
He has been used primarily in that position, although as stints on both flanks and even as a striker show, the youngster can fit into different systems and requirements when the opportunity arises.
His heat map from the season gone by, shown below, provides more detail about Wolfs position on the pitch:
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