Luca Kjerrumgaard (2003) is a Danish striker who plays for Odense BK in the NordicBet Liga, the second division of Danish football. A U-21 international, Kjerrumgaard is excelling this season, having scored 13 goals and provided 5 assists in 16 league games as this report is being written.
Standing at 1.90 m, Kjerrumgaard presents a strong physicality which he effectively uses to shield the ball, making him a great asset in hold-up play. Also, his agility and balance on the ball allow him to carry it into the area, using his arms to resist the pressing from the opponents. His body build seems ideal to play him as an offensive reference, under the role of a target man. Although he’s not a natural deep runner, he does present good acceleration when making runs out of possession to create passing lines behind the defensive line.
A left-footed striker, Kjerrumgaard impresses with his powerful shot and capacity to finalize actions under extreme pressure. Considering his physicality and ability to shield the ball, it is usual to see him playing back to the goal, using turns to finish the action with a shot within seconds. In this sense, he’s causing several struggles to the opposition’s defensive lines this season. Odense plays him alongside fast wingers, especially Louicius Don Deedson (2001), pushing Kjerrumgaard to create big spaces behind his back by dropping deep to receive and hold the ball. This could be one of his signature moves, as he quickly recovers position to return to the box after connecting with a teammate.
His ability to find scoring positions inside the area makes him a constant threat, showing excellent positioning and a tendency to attack the near post when the possession comes from wide areas. Positioning, physicality, and a good reference of where is the goal make him a natural goalscorer. Still, there are certain aspects he needs to develop. Although he can use both feet, there’s a noticeable difference in his executions when he finishes with his right foot, lacking the power and accuracy he displays with his left. His ball control and first touch aren’t yet elite, which also explains the number of chances he needs to score. While Kjerrumgaard is excellent for the number of chances he creates for himself and his teammates, there’s still room for improvement in how clinical he is in front of the goal.
When he’s not in possession, he tends to drop deep to support his teammates in creation, dragging a defender with him and creating the previously mentioned space for the wingers to attack the edge of the box. He also leads his team’s pressing in the opposition’s build-up and tends to track back to recover possession outside the final third. Again, his physicality and positioning drive him to recover several balls in defending tasks.
While he still has certain technical traits to improve, Luca Kjerrumgaard is one of the most promising strikers in Scandinavia right now. A classic target man, his potential level should take him to play in the top-5 European leagues. Odense BK is well aware of this and a move would require a significant transfer fee, hence it seems unlikely he will move directly to Belgium or the Netherlands. Instead, the Italian Serie A or German Bundesliga could be excellent platforms for him to develop, potentially including a loan move abroad.
Target Scouting 