Kentucky to Motherwell: Bjørgolfsson joins the Steelmen

Motherwell have today confirmed the signing of free agent Eythor Bjørgolfssonon a two and a half year deal. Bjørgolfsson (pronounced by-aw-golfsuhn) hails from Jessheim, Norway and has played in the USA, Norway, and Sweden. He's Motherwell's first signing of the January transfer window.

So, who is Eythor Bjørgolfsson and just exactly what type of player are we getting here?

Career so far: from Kentucky to Scandinavia

Infographic showing player profile and previous clubs

Bjørgolfsson's career began at the University of Kentucky, where he played in their college soccer setup between 2019 and 2022. During this time, he scored 43 goals in 68 games for the Wildcats. In this time, he was listed as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist - a trophy which is awarded to the top United States college soccer players.

He was then drafted by Seattle Sounders, but struggled to make the first team. He only played 27 minutes in the MLS Cup, and featured more for Tacoma Defiance, who are Seattle's reserve team in the MLS Next Pro league, the American equivalent of a professional reserve league (Like Premier League 2 rather than the EFL Championship).

Bjørgolfsson then returned to his native Scandinavia, finding himself playing for Moss FK in Norweigan's second tier. He managed to score 3 goals and get 2 assists in 17 appearances, with a total of 435 minutes played, mostly coming on a substitute. He was then moved on loan to IK Start, where he managed 1 goal in 6 appearances, with 120 total minutes played.

Bjørgolfsson then moved to Umea FC in the Swedish X league. Up until then, his career had been very stop-start. Always on the cusp of the first team but never quite breaking through.

That was until he signed for Umea FC. He was able to find more consistency, this time lodging an impressive 15 goals in 29 appearances - roughly 0.62 goals every 90 minutes. When he signed for Umea, they praised his ability to hold play with his back to goal and be able to make dangerous runs, rather than just being a static striker with physicality. His work rate was also largely praised. Despite his prolific output, he wasn't able to save Umea from relegation.

Player Profile

This YouTube video that Eythor's agents put out does a good job at showing what kind of player Eythor is. The goals that Eythor scores in these clips aren't wonderstrikes from here, there, and everywhere. Rather, they're the result of hard work and knowing where to be; having that 'strikers instinct' which is so crucial in the top flight.

Football scout and consultant Kai Watson also uploaded an analysis piece on Eythor and used leading stats provider WyScout to get some more advanced numbers on Motherwell's new signing. In the video, Kai said...

'The 25 year old played in the Swedish second tier last season had a brilliant season scoring 15 goals. He overperformed his XG which is 13.5 - had a conversion rate of over 20%. He's a bit of a different option to what Motherwell have currently. He's tall, about 6'3, and puts himself about... He'll hold the ball up, be strong, powerful, win balls in the air, be sharp inside the box, really quick, aggressive, press the centre backs and put pressure on the keeper'.

Football scout and consultant Kai Watson on Motherwell's new signing

Speaking on the signing, the manager told club media:

“Eythor’s profile has been identified by our recruitment department as a strong match for us.

“Watching him extensively, getting really good recommendations through our network in Scandinavia and looking at his standout data, we strongly believe that Eythor will be a valuable and strong addition to the team.

“He’s taken a different route than most younger Scandinavian talents, but his determination, resilience and steady development have led him to an exciting time in his career. We are delighted that he has chosen Motherwell FC, Fir Park and Scottish football to be his next stage.

“We look forward to seeing the output of his physicality and strong presence in the box in combination with our ability to produce chances.”

It's interesting, and welcoming, that Askou is still tapping into the Scandinavian market. Askou signed both Ibrahim Said and Elijah Just - two of Motherwell's most impactful signings - from the Danish Superliga and the Danish First Division, respectively. These are markets that clubs like Motherwell long ought to have been in, rather than sending scouts to League 1 and 2 constantly like we seemed to do across the 2010s. If Eythor can have the same impact as Said and Just, then this second half of the season just got very exciting.

Another thing worth quickly noting is how comprehensive Askou's signings seem to be, using a mixture of data, recommendations, and his own watching. Granted, I might be reaching here. I'm not saying Askou has invented scouting. What I am saying, is that for the first time in a while, it feels like we're scouting for a reason. Actively searching for players who seem to fit the system and philosophy while also being a financially shrewd investment.

Infographic showing Eythor's player profile and stats from his time at Umea FC.

Verdict

Up the Well? We're sold.

There's always a special feeling when your club signs a striker. You immediately start to think of all the goals and moments that could be. Going off Eythor's career so far and combining that with Motherwell's creative output this year... be excited, Well fans. This seems an incredible bit of business.

Firstly, financially, we have not had to pay a transfer fee. As mentioned, Bjørgolfsson had a relegation clause in his contract with Umea, and despite his performances he was not able to save Umea from the drop.

Bjørgolfsson seems like the kind of striker we've been missing for a while. This year the centre-forward position hasn't been blessed in front of goal. Where their plus marks have came from - high tempo, work rate, defending from the front - are all traits that our new Viking has.

Though, to manage expectations ever so slightly, it is worth mentioning the Swedish league ended in November. That means it's been a while since Eythor got competitive minutes.

Still, we're backing the Norwegian to get up to speed quickly and start banging them in.

We're excited about this one. Welcome to Motherwell, Eythor!