Fabian Rieder: Will Celtic break transfer record for Swiss maestro?

Around £30m of transfer funds are reported to be available, leading to rumours that the club may even break their transfer record this summer in an attempt to help the 50-year-old not only maintain domestic dominance but also make a long-overdue impact on the European stage. 

Those rumours have intensified recently, with the £25m sale of Jota to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad potentially adding further funds to the Parkhead transfer funds. As always at this time of the year, there are plenty of names swirling around in terms of incomings, but one persistent name over the last week or so - one that would require a record-breaking transfer fee to acquire - is that of Fabian Rieder. 

The 21-year-old Swiss midfielder, who currently plays for Young Boys, is believed to be available for a fee of around £16m. Any transfer in that region would smash the club’s current record transfer fee paid, the £9million signing of Odsonne Edouard from PSG in 2018 during Rodgers’ first spell as Celtic manager.

This scouting report will take a closer look at Rieder to assess whether the young midfielder would be worth breaking the clubs’ transfer record for.

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Player profile 

A product of Young Boys’ academy, Rieder was handed his domestic debut for the club in October 2020 before making his first European appearance later that month against Roma in the Europa League. 

He then made his Champions League debut the following season. Only 18 at the time, the midfielder played in all six of Young Boys group stage matches, scoring his first European goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford. 

He has gone on to make a total of 114 appearances for Young Boys, scoring 14 goals and providing 23 assists. Capped from under-15 level for Switzerland, Rieder has made his full international debut at the World Cup last year, where he played in two of their group games, as they made the last 16. 

After winning his first international caps in Qatar, Rieder returned to help Young Boys seal the 2022-23 Swiss Super League title, where he ended the season with seven goals and five assists. He has also recently played at this summer’s European Under-21 Championship for his country. Playing in all three of his nation’s group matches, as well as the quarter-final where they were knocked out in extra-time by Spain, Rieder was used in a variety of positions at the tournament.

He played in a deeper midfielder role, out wide on the right, as well as in his most common central attacking midfielder position. The number ten position was where Rieder was deployed most of last season in Young Boys’ favoured 4-3-1-2/4-4-2 diamond formation though. He played 2,474 of his 3,411 minutes in all competitions for the Swiss side there with the majority of his remaining minutes at central midfield (831). 

In terms of a physical profile Rieder, who is predominately left-footed, is listed as 5’11” and 11 and a half stone. 

Data analysis

The above chart can start to build a clearer picture of Rieder’s playing style. Using Wyscout per-90 data converted into percentile ranks, the chart compares him to other central attacking midfielders and wingers in the 2022-23 Swiss Super League (minimum 1,000 minutes played). The chart is split into three sections and includes several key attacking, possession and defending metrics.

Looking at the attacking section first, we can see Rieder ranks around the 50th percentile for his goal contributions and expected goal contributions. He averaged 0.3 goal contributions per 90 in last season’s Swiss Super League with a similar expected goal contribution (0.32 per 90).

Although roughly the same combined, he did overperform in terms of goals, scoring 0.23 per 90 from an xG per 90 of 0.16, whilst he could have been expected to rack up a few more assists. Rieder generated 0.16 xA per 90, but a probable lack of finishing/luck in front of goal by those on the receiving end meant he only registered 0.07 assists per 90. 

In terms of shots, again, Rieder ranks around average in terms of both volume (1.84 per 90) and his on-target percentage (36.36 per cent).

Given he is being compared to several wingers here, it is possibly not much of a surprise to see him rank below the average mark in terms of volume of crosses, Rieder attempted 1.37 per 90 in the league last season. His crossing accuracy rate of 31.71 per cent does stack up favourably enough, though, in the 65th percentile. 

Finally, on his attacking section, Rieder didn't take a lot of touches in the box compared to other central attacking midfielders and wingers in Switzerland’s topflight (1.94 per 90). Again, comparing against several wingers in this dataset sees Rieder coming in below average for the volume of dribbles (3.02 per 90) and progressive runs (1.34 per 90). His dribbling success rate of 52.22 per cent last season comes in just under average. 

Even in that context, it is clear that passing is Rieder's preferred method of ball progression. He averaged 6.27 progressive passes per 90, more than any other player in this dataset, while his dangerous passes, a combination of key and through passes (1.28 per 90), came in just over the 50th percentile rank.

The defensive section of Rieder’s chart is where the young midfielder really stands out. He was involved in more defensive duels than any other player included in the dataset here (9.9 per 90) while he boasted one of the best win rate percentages in these types of duels (62.42 per cent). His possession-adjusted (PAdj) interceptions are also impressive, registering 5.08 per 90 in last season’s Swiss Super League.

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Possession

Rieder’s passing ability is one of his standout attributes. He is very direct in possession and more often than not will show a desire to find vertical passing options. Technically excellent with an impeccable first touch, he shows exceptional vision and accuracy in his passing which enables him to execute a wide range of passes, from precise short combinations to long diagonal balls. 

In last season’s Swiss Super League, he averaged 40.43 passes per 90, 5.8 of which were to the final third and 2.85 of which were to the penalty area.

As already seen in his percentile rank chart, Rieder also averaged over six progressive passes per 90 in last season’s league campaign with the above graphic shedding further light on his ball progression. The graphic highlights his impressive accuracy rate for his progressive passing, completing 84 per cent of his 284 in the last year. His percentage completion rates are actually even higher at longer distances. 

One example of his ability to switch the point of attack by executing accurate long-range passes is shown below. 

Dropping deep into his own half in a match against rivals Basel, Rieder’s pinpoint long diagonal allowed his right-back to get on the ball in the final third. In and around the box is where Rieder really excels. The timing and weight of his passes on the deck are more often than not on-point too.

His incisive forward passes have broken defensive lines in the Swiss Super League at ease with one of the best examples of this coming from another game against Basel.

Showing good off-the-ball movement to pick up a nice position in the right-half space, Rieder’s delicate first-time ball sliced through the Basel defensive line and allowed the Young Boys striker a shot a goal from close range. Even though he did not rank too highly in the percentile rank chart, Rieder’s dribbling skills and ability to drive forward in possession at pace make him a danger when carrying the ball too.

His speed and agility are top-level, allowing him to cover ground swiftly and navigate through tight spaces with ease. His quick bursts of acceleration are particularly effective when it comes to escaping pressure. He is not the most physical in terms of his build, but he uses his upper body strength to protect the ball when he is pressed intensely and shows good aggression to ensure he maintains possession.

This is further evidenced in the above graphic which shows Rieder kept possession following just under 75 per cent of his dribbles in the Swiss Super League in the last year. 

Attacking

He may not have stood out too much in this section of his percentile rank chart but Rieder is undoubtedly a serious attacking threat. 

As mentioned, he scored seven goals as Young Boys won the Swiss Super League last season with the above shot map, which shows his shots in all competitions in the last year, giving further detail about his shooting.

We can see he takes the majority of his shots with his left and although he is certainly not as clean a striker of the ball off his right foot he is still capable of hitting the target with his weaker foot, his brilliant bending strike against Manchester United in the Champions League, shown below, a prime example of this. 

However, given he attempted 53 shots from outside the box and only hit the target with 14 in the last year, it would be safe to say he doesn’t always make the best shot-selection decisions. It is not always the distances Rieder shoots from, many are from central areas and not too far outside the box, but it is more that he can be guilty of trying to strike the ball through too much traffic. This can lead to a number of his efforts on goal being blocked. 

As with his passing, his shooting technique is excellent though, especially off his stronger left foot. His rocket of a strike against Sion, shown below, is an excellent example of this.

Generating a huge amount of power with little backlift, his fierce strike left the Sion goalkeeper rooted to the spot as it flew in the top left corner. He gets into the higher-quality scoring areas shown in his shot map thanks to his well-timed late runs into the box. In these situations, Rieder can be explosive too, both in terms of his arrival in the box and then his powerful finishes.

An example of this was another of his goals against Sion last season. 

Again, picking those positions in the half spaces, Rieder gets goal side of his man and starts his burst into the box before the Young Boys centre-forward has even received the ball. Taking the ball in his stride from a flicked pass, Rieder then powerfully drove through the box before lifting a finish in at the goalkeeper’s front post. 

Rieder's excellent ball-striking extends to dead-ball situations too. He is something of a set-piece specialist, capable of delivering dangerous corners and accurate free-kicks. Celtic already have some decent set-piece takers in the squad, such as Matt O’Riley, but Rieder would definitely add another fine option. 

He gets great pace on his deliveries with his whipped set-plays that swing in towards the goal from the left side, a particular threat. One example of this worth highlighting was his goal from a direct free-kick from an acute angle, shown below.

Rieder generated such power and whip on the ball that he completely caught out Luzern’s goalkeeper at his near post. 

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Defending 

As indicated in his percentile rank chart, Rieder's defensive skills are not to be overlooked either. 

Having already seen how well he ranked when it came to defensive duels and interceptions compared to other attacking midfielders and wide players in the Swiss Super League, the above graphic gives more detail about Rieder’s work off-the-ball, specifically in the final third. 

Here we can see Rieder is amongst the highest in the league for recoveries in the final third (2.21 per 90) while he also performs well when it comes to dangerous recoveries (0.67 per 90). 

His counterpressing numbers are similarly impressive, shown above. He has averaged the third most pressures following a turnover in possession per 90 in the Swiss Super League in the last year (5.2 per 90).

This willingness, but more importantly success, in his pressing work would be a welcome addition to the Hoops’ midfield, especially in Europe. Robust with a great engine, he is certainly tenacious in the tackle. He also uses his that solid upper body strength to good effect in duels, such as in the below example.

Tracking back with intensity, Rieder gets his body in to outmuscle the St Gallen attacker and win the ball before quickly turning to drive Young Boys forward. 

He can admittedly overstep at times in his defensive work. Although he only committed 0.34 fouls per 90 he still picked up ten bookings in the league last season. Becoming a bit more disciplined in this regard would be one area of improvement for Rieder. 

Conclusion

Rieder is a dynamic box-to-box midfielder who combines technical finesse and agility with a strong work ethic and boundless energy – he certainly fits the bill if Rodgers, as he has indicated, is looking to add more energy and power into the Celtic engine room. 

Although often used as a central attacking midfielder, his range of passing, mobility, and off-the-ball qualities make him a complete midfield package, one who would likely be just as effective if used as a number eight.

He would obviously be an immediate starter and although only one player, he would potentially raise the clubs’ ceiling in terms of what could be achieved in Europe. A potential £16m fee may feel like a slight overpayment but there is still a strong case to be made that he would be worth breaking the club’s transfer record.

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In Rieder, Celtic would be acquiring a midfield talent regarded as one of this the brightest in Europe. Linked with clubs the likes of Real Madrid, Roma, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund in the past, and aged just 21, there would be every chance his resale value in a few seasons would be more than the outlay, perhaps even more than the fee received for Jota recently. 

Whether a deal for Rieder is realistically achievable or not at this time remains to be seen. Ultimately, it is hugely encouraging to see Celtic target a talent of this level.