Fares Ghedjemis Benchmarking

At the time of this writing, two right wings have been rumored to be of acute interest to Celtic, Fares Ghedjemis and Damir Redzic. The latter is also reported to be an option for RB Salzburg, so I will focus on the former first and cover the latter if/when he is signed.

As always for new readers, please see this post for a review of this benchmarking exercise.

Frosinone is currently top of the Serie B table, though per Wyscout’s xPts model they may be enjoying a major bout of positive randomness via opponents scoring just 18 goals from 33.55 xG so far this season. The prior season they finished just outside the relegation zone while badly underperforming their xG and xG conceded.

Ghedjemis’ role in the two seasons shifted from a limited one in 2024-2025 to a vital cog in the machine so far in 2025-2026. The current iteration of Frosinone has not been very Celtic-like - average possession below 50%, not a lot of pressing, and the second lowest volume of passes played in the league, as well as the 2nd lowest passes per minute of possession.

This context is neither good nor bad, but is important to keep in mind when considering the various metrics and how they benchmark amongst his peers.

Ghedjemis appears a bit of a late bloomer, as he will turn 24 this coming September and was in the 3rd tier in France prior to his February 2024 move to Frosinone for a reported €300,000. His attacking output benchmarks well and proxies for raw athleticism also - more on that later. Defensive work rate has not been part of the equation, though some of that may be impacted by the relative passivity of his team’s style of play. The man LOVES to dribble.

Generally speaking, his passing metrics suggest a good level of technical proficiency, with final third attack a major role.

As is always, I tend to try and contextualize players with some sort of reference, whether a player with whom we are generally more aware, or a teammate who plays the same or similar position.

In looking through Frosinone for the two relevant seasons and considering how Ghedjemis benchmarks within them, I thought it would be clarifying to explore how much of his high-percentile rankings may be materially impacted by system and what his idiosyncratic elements may be. The next batch of three compare him with his left wing teammate, Giorgi Kvernadze, for the 2025-2026 season.

We can see a lot of overlap with the two profiles, with some possibly important differences. For example, Ghedjemis’ xA from Open Play P90 and xA per Shot Assist metrics suggest he is far more effective in creating chances so far this season. Having said that, his xG per shot combined with the middling xA per Shot Assist introduces an potential element of the dreaded “compiler” dynamic - more on that later.

Once again see a lot of overlap and perspective on the dribbling and running metrics - the team really prioritizes carrying the ball versus ball progression via passing. His defensive volumes are even worse than Kvernadze, so even within the context of a lower-intensity style, he may not be the most intense defender?

Here we see how his potential technical proficiency stands out compared to Kvernadze, with neither all that involved in buildup. Without examining Frosinone closely, they appear to have been deployed as high and wide wingers who look to take their defenders on 1 v 1.

Video Review

Without tracking data, I am left to try and infer attributes like speed and quickness. This first video suggests to me that he is ok from a pace perspective but not explosive in a way that Ta Bi appeared.

This guy dribbles more than a baby at meal time! Importantly, he appears to have both a willingness and ability to go to his right and get to the byline, despite being strongly left footed. Decision making may not be a strength, though he seems to have flashes of having the ability to make smart reads and deliver incisive passes.

This video offers some examples of how he interacts around the box, where he seems to play with his eyes up but he can struggle a bit to execute when on his right foot and when in the right half space with the decision to make as to whether to shoot versus pick out a teammate for a pass.

Analytical Conclusions

I like Ghedjemis and can see him being a Jota-adjacent option on the right wing, which is not too shabby a player. I am not suggesting he is as good as Jota, as I have not looked at him enough to make that sort of declaration. However, his style of play reminds me of Jota, so just trying to offer what a really positive scenario could entail.

Similar to Jota, defending from the front may not be a strength, so there could be a tradeoff to access his “tricky wingerness.”

On a short term basis, he seems like he could help Celtic unlock low blocks to a degree, and some of his howitzer shots from cutting inside could contribute to goal scoring on the margin.

His technical ability seems to suggest he could be suitable to be more involved in buildup, and possibly even in an inverted capacity, but that would demand a lot more running that he appears to have had to put out in Italy. He seems to offer a far stickier option on the ball than someone like Yang, so that should help in buildup as well.

Base case is a useful player domestically who would provide aspects of what James Forrest still offers from a technical perspective, while being more dynamic and attacking in possession. He and Araujo would form a pretty decent right side.

Not sure about his upside and ability to stretch things against higher level defenders/athletes in Europe where his 1 v 1 talents may be muted on the margin, and we need to see how he will handle being asked to defend with a lot more intensity.

But given where the club appears to be from a football operations perspective, he appears a reasonable addition to improve quality and depth in ways that the team are currently lacking on the right side.