Our scout report today centres on Hugo Vetlesen, a versatile figure in the world of football who has spent the 2023-24 season showing his mettle in Belgium's Pro League A as a central midfielder for Club Brugge. Despite his youth, 24-year-old Vetlesen is already a rare gem, a master of the spherical art hailing from Norway.
Flashing superlative skills both in ball recovery and possession, Vetlesen outranks almost 90% and three-quarters of his midfielding counterparts respectively. His qualities testify to a playmaker per excellence, orchestrating the ebb and flow of his team's attacking cadence with aplomb. Matched with an impressive rank in 'Progressive Carrying' - in the top 17th percentile of his peers - it's clear Vetlesen knows when to move the ball forward assertively, threading through the opposition's defenses like a hot knife through butter.
The Norwegian's playing style is not without blemish though. Stinging criticism can be aimed at his goal efficiency and goal threat levels. Let's not shy away from the fact that these stats rank him at around the half-way mark among his peers. And while his overall passing is admirable, his interceptions and recovery rate have room for improvement, again sitting somewhere around the mid-tier percentile - not exactly reassuring for a midfielder tasked with regaining possession. His penchant for fouls has in some instances marred the fields of Pro League A, placing him well within the danger zone in terms of yellow cards.
From a positional perspective, our Norwegian prodigy tends to operate critically in the midfield third, acting as a crucial pivot transferring the sphere from defense to the frontline. Despite this, his forays into the attacking third and penalty areas are somewhat limited, a trait that perhaps contributes to his less than stellar goal threat status.
In summary, Vetlesen's player stats peg him out as a technical maestro, a progressive player with top-tier possession skills, but somewhat lacking in the exacting predatory instincts required in front of goal. The relatively high number of fouls and yellow cards paint a picture of a player unafraid to engage in the gritty battle of the game but this is something he needs to better balance, to not only preserve his on-pitch presence but also ensure the optimum flow of his team's game plan.
Hugo Vetlesen Key stats
Hugo Vetlesen Career Trend
Hugo Vetlesen Shot Maps
Hugo Vetlesen Shot Summary
In the 2024-2025 season, Hugo Vetlesen took 12 shots, scoring 0 goals. This output came from an Expected Goals (xG) of 1.32, averaging 0.11 xG per shot.
Right Foot: 0 goals from 7 shots. A 0.0% conversion rate. 0.14 xG per shot.
Left Foot: 0 goals from 5 shots. A 0.0% conversion rate. 0.07 xG per shot.
Headers: 0 goals from 0 headed attempts. A 0% conversion rate. 0 xG per shot.
