Pep Biel has arrived in Charlotte as the team’s new attacking centerpiece from Greek club Olympiacos. While on loan through the end of 2024 (with an option to buy), the Spanish attacking midfielder and winger will be looking to fill Charlotte FC’s creative void with his dynamism in and around the box.
On Deadline Day, I sat down with the Club’s Director of Scouting, Thomas Schaling, to analyze Biel as a player. He’s consistently brought goals and assists across multiple teams and leagues during his career in Europe; how will he translate that to the Queen City?
Dynamic Reputation
Originally from Mallorca in Spain’s Balearic Islands, Biel found his way to second division side Real Zaragoza in 2017 as a 21-year-old to engineer his breakout seasons.
While it had taken him some time to navigate Spain’s lower divisions as a youngster, his performances at Zaragoza sealed him his big move to Danish giants FC Copenhagen, where he found the opportunity for consistent first division soccer.
He wasted no time proving himself as a goal scorer and creator at the top level – European competition.
Biel helped Copenhagen advance through the knockout rounds of both the Conference League and the Europa League, and later completed the trifecta of European football by helping his side reach the prestigious Champions League through the qualifying round.
His 2021-22 season – during which Copenhagen won the title – was the perfect example of Biel’s potential as a creative attacking force. The Spaniard had an excellent return rate of one goal per three matches (and parlayed that into nearly one goal per match at the start of 2022-23). That’s 18 goals and 15 assists across all competitions that season.
“The creative part is there,” said Schaling. “We believe that this is a player that can provide goals and assists based on analysis of his past performances, production, and the underlying numbers at Copenhagen and Olympiacos in two competitive leagues.”
Biel showed consistent attacking production at Olympiacos, as well. He kept his hot streak from Copenhagen going in his first season, scoring ten goals and contributing four assists in all competitions.
His most recent season was interrupted by a midseason loan to Augsburg in the Bundesliga, but the attacker has demonstrated over many seasons that he can provide goals.
The question is: how does he do it, and how does that fit into this CLTFC team?
Box-Crashing Bravery
Advanced statistics are harder to come by for the Danish Superliga, but one thing does jump out about Pep Biel on FBref.com. During that 2021-22 title-winning season, he was never hesitant to pull the trigger. The evidence is clear: he led the league by a wide margin in both shots on target and shots on target per 90 minutes.
This aggressive, brave mentality lines up with Schaling’s analysis.
“He’s a good box-crasher,” he said. “He’ll definitely do a lot of good things in and around the box. He wants to arrive in the final third where he can be on the ball in the most dangerous areas, rather than just dropping deep to build up in lower pressure areas.
“We believe that this is a player who can help us elevate our level in the final third and provide the creative force we need to get the best out of our front line.”
Schaling and the rest of his scouting team feel that Biel has many of the foundational attributes to take advantage of his box-crashing tendencies.
“Pep has the vision of a top attacking player, the technical quality to execute on what he sees, and the engine to keep that going over the course of 90 minutes” he said.
And, perhaps most importantly, the front office has good reason to believe he will fit in well with his teammates. The positive culture being set by Head Coach Dean Smith and Club Captain Ashley Westwood is not something they are willing to sacrifice on.
“As we learned more about him off the field, it quickly became apparent that he has all the intangibles needed to succeed, as well. Everyone that has worked with him spoke extremely highly of him. He’s a good trainer, a very professional teammate, and always shows impressively in the fitness tests.”
What’s Next?
As Biel arrives in market, the Club will get straight to work on his visa. While his eligibility status for the upcoming matches remains uncertain, Smith will want him in the selection pool as soon as possible.
Given the deal is a loan through the end of the season with an option to buy, Biel will have a limited amount of time to make his case on being bought permanently ahead of 2025. However, in the short term, this is a move that is being made with an eye toward the playoffs.
“This move improves us in the final third, giving us the creativity that we’re currently lacking in the squad,” said Schaling. “Adding that creativity helps the team push forward in the race for playoff spots and bolsters our hopes of a deep playoff run.”
Charlotte FC has their attacking midfielder for 2024. Now, with one of the final pieces in place (the team can still sign free agents after the window closed on Wednesday), the team will be hoping to deliver on their best-ever regular season as the playoffs loom on the horizon.
