Fraser Hornby’s Fit At Stade de Reims
Fraser Hornby completed a surprise transfer to French side Stade de Reims this summer. The towering striker has long been on the radar of many Scotland fans having impressed at youth level for both the national team and his former club Everton. So what can Reims expect from Hornby upon arrival in France and what, in turn, can Hornby expect at Reims?
01/07/2020 By Byron Hutchison
Rumours of Hornby’s move to Reims began doing the rounds early on June 4th when L’Equipe’s Bertrand Latour reported that a relocation was in the works and by June 10th, the transfer appeared to be all but complete. In the end, it took until July 1st for the switch and subsequent 4-year-deal to be officially confirmed. Hornby had been a hot prospect on Merseyside since completing a £65,000 move to the Toffees from Northampton Town as a 14-year-old midfielder in 2014. The young Scot has come on significantly in the six years since, so, if you’re unfamiliar, let me get you up to speed on Reims’ latest addition.
You’ll have guessed by now that the rangy Hornby is no longer a midfielder. The Scotsman developed into a prolific second striker or frontline target-man during his time in the Everton Academy, notching a stand-out 16 goals in 20 games in the u18 equivalent of the Premier League. An impressive hat-trick in a 4-4 thriller against Phil Foden’s Manchester City in 2016 providing the impetus for his move up field. Emphatic displays at that level coupled with a seamless integration into the u23 setup prompted former Everton boss Sam Allardyce to hand Hornby his senior debut in 2017, aged just 18. His 13-minute cameo in a 3-0 Europa League win over Apollon Limassol in Cyprus, however, would serve as his sole first-team appearance for the Scousers.
Hornby's post-Cyprus development resumed in Premier League 2 with the u23s and his all-around game continued to garner praise; earning a 3-year professional contract under then first-team head coach Marco Silva for his efforts. Everton claimed the PL2 title in 2019 with Hornby often playing alongside Bassala Sambou in a front pair, his record of eight goals in 31 appearances paling a little in comparison to his u18 tally as a result. Contrast that with his six goals in 13 games for Scotland’s u21 national team, leading the line in Scot Gemmill’s XI as a sole striker, and it would appear that Hornby is best served when deployed as an independent beacon at the tip of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.
Standing at 6’4” and with a decent sized frame, you’d be forgiven for pigeonholing Hornby as a lumbering centre forward but you would be wrong to do so. There is craft and guile to his game and his aforementioned time spent as a midfielder in his younger years has no doubt served him well from a technical perspective. The Scot is very shrewd while on the ball, his hold up play and clever flick-ons are both plus points in his game. He may well be a more potent threat when upfront on his own but his experience playing in a pair or as a supporting forward has left a welcome impression on his footballing brain. Hornby drops deep with regularity, pulling defenders with him as he descends between the lines, creating space for wide players and midfielders alike. He doesn’t just drop deep out of frustration or a desire to touch the ball either, he’s calculated about it and remains cognisant of his responsibilities as a front-man. His first-touch is solid too and while predominantly right-footed, he's more than capable with his left, allowing the forward to be instinctive when it counts.
“He’s got that physicality which is important but Fraser is not just about that. It’s about intelligence, a willingness to do the work and the talent as well. In football today you need the full package.”
His physical attributes are of course there for all to see and Hornby knows how to make good use of them. Like many young players of stature, his size proved to be a particular asset at youth level but has become less and less pronounced as he has advanced through the age groups. He’s tall, but doesn’t have Robert Lewandowski’s physique just yet, he is only 20-years-old after all. That said, Hornby remains a commanding enough presence at the senior level and his aerial ability is a real weapon both in the box and during build up play. He’s not slow either and although his turn of pace isn’t as effective as it was against 18-year-olds, he remains a threat in-behind defenders. Funnily enough, as far as playing style goes, the best comparison for Hornby in recent Scottish history might well be the last Scotsman to play in France, Steven Fletcher.
Hornby’s link-up play and threat in-behind on display as he scores his first senior league goal.
Last season’s loan move - which included an option-to-buy - to KV Kortrijk in the Belgian top-flight was supposed to provide Hornby with his first real crack at the men's game. Two goals in his first three appearances got him off to a positive start while Kortrijk as a whole struggled. By December 13th they had failed to muster a win in eight consecutive matches. I’m not excusing Hornby’s part in that poor run - he started in five of those eight games - but loan players are often the first ones to take the hit in such circumstances and the frontman was no exception. Having racked up 697 minutes throughout Kortrijk’s first 19 league games, he took to the field for a total of just five minutes in their next 10 outings.
Hornby, who with his six international goals is Scotland’s most prolific striker at u21 level since Jordan Rhodes, wasn't close to the Everton first-team prior to his spell in Belgium. The loan move, sadly, won’t have given current Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti much reason to reevaluate things either. With the transfer window looming and just 12-months remaining on his contract at Goodison Park, the club’s desire to cash-in wasn't unexpected. Securing a move to a side that finished 6th in Ligue 1, however, on the back of a difficult time in Belgian football, was a little more surprising.
In Reims, Hornby is joining a historic club in French football - holders of six Ligue 1 titles. They even had the distinguished honour of competing in the inaugural European Cup final, succumbing to an Alfredo di Stefano led Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes in 1956. That level of success has, regrettably, become a distant memory for many in France’s champagne capital. The club was ultimately forced into liquidation in 1991 with a phoenix club forming in 1992. Over the ensuing 25 years, Les Rouge et Blanc emerged as a yo-yo team, fluttering between France’s first and third tiers. The appointment of current head coach David Guion in 2017, however, has seen the club undergo something of a revolution and allowed fans to once again dream of European football.
Guion steered Reims to the Ligue 2 title in his first full season in charge. He followed that with an impressive 8th place top-flight finish in 2018/19 and in the pandemic-hit 2019/20 season they improved once again. Claiming 6th and a spot in the Europa League - thanks in part to PSG winning both the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue. A sharp rise orchestrated by a relative unknown, so what kind of team is Hornby joining?
To put it bluntly; a defensive one. Reims were regularly described as “the most frustrating team to play against in France” last season, but even that might be doing them a disservice. They may well be the most frustrating team in Europe. In 2019/20, Across Europe’s top five leagues, only one side conceded fewer goals by the time football ground to a COVID-enforced halt - as was the case in 1956, it’s Real Madrid who pipped Reims to this particular European crown. Never the less, for a club in just its second top-flight season, to only concede 21 times is astounding. The ever dominant PSG were even gracious enough to let opponents find the net on 24 occasions.
Le Mans born Guion - a defender in his playing days - builds his system from the back. His sides infuriating mid-block has become somewhat notorious among French football analysts and opposition coaches alike. Employing a 4-4-2 when defending, Reims quickly regroup when out of possession to form a near-impenetrable ten-man barrier consisting of three narrow horizontal lines, pressing only when particular parameters are satisfied. They’re impossible to play through. A suffocating sea of red and white shirts that floats seamlessly from side-to-side as opponents are forced to oscillate the ball from one wing to the other in search of air. It’s a slow death and no one is safe. Reims are the only side to have held a clean sheet against Thomas Tuchel’s PSG since the German’s arrival in Paris. It sounds simple enough, right? Sit tight in a 4-4-2, deny the passing lanes and pounce on interceptions, but it’s not. Guion’s game requires total commitment from his players and a deep understanding of his tactics, something that has been forged over the past three seasons.
“We’ve got a real compact block. We’re very difficult to move out of position. Those are things we’ve been working on for three years now, since I arrived here with the club in Ligue 2. The tactics are bearing their fruits now.”
Reims' attacking players aren’t let of the hook either and Hornby will be required to cut-off opposition passing routes into midfield and endeavour to force the ball out wide for the system to work. The aim, simply, is to force the ball to the flanks and encourage opponents into mistakes as far away from the Reims goal as possible, allowing Guoin’s side to counter from further up the field and catch teams in a defensive transition. Which will suit the tactically aware, hard-working Hornby.
There will be stiff competition for a starting berth at Reims next season, however, with Boulaye Dia, El Bilal Touré, Anastasios Donis and one-time Ajax prodigy Kaj Sierhuis all on the books. It was Frenchman Dia who served as Guion’s primary forward last season - topping the club’s scoring charts in a system that took the shape of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 while in possession - one that will sit well with Hornby. Dia’s performances received much praise during the previous campaign; his first in top-flight football. His seven Ligue 1 goals have drawn interest from the likes of Nice and Marseille and if rumours are to be believed he’s unlikely to remain in Reims for the upcoming season. Contrast that with Hornby’s humble record of three goals in 12 Belgian Pro League games last season - a ratio that has been maligned as a failure by some - and the acquisition of Hornby may seem a little underwhelming on the surface.
In relative terms, however, Hornby’s return of 0.36 league goals per 90 is a slight improvement on Dia’s 0.33 and a deeper look at both players advanced stats makes it apparent that Hornby’s recruitment may be much more astute than it initially appears. Hornby out-performed Dia last season in aerial duels, shot accuracy and expected goals. Of which the latter two metrics could be significant for Reims, who ranked in the bottom half of Ligue 1 for shots per 90 and dead last for shot accuracy last season. Hornby’s ability to to hit the target (doing so with 55% of his shots in Belgium) and convert chances (his 0.36 goal rate comes against an xG of 0.37) with the few opportunities Reims create could prove to be crucial. The 20-year-old Scot aligns perfectly with Reims’ youthful recruitment strategy too. Dia was fished out of France's fourth-tier as a 21-year-old in 2018 and in 2019, 10 of their 11 summer recruits were aged 23 and below.
Reims are an ambitious club, overachievers, who have developed a reputation for their clever transfer dealings and youth development. In Guion, they have one of Europe’s most promising head coaches at the helm, a tactician in the Mourinho and Simeone mould. A man who knows exactly what he wants from his players and just how to get it. Hornby’s switch overseas may have come as a surprise to you and I but to those in the known in Northern France it’s simply another prudent deal by one of Ligue 1’s most competent outfits. Moving to the defensive fortress that is the Stade Auguste-Delaune may not seem like the ideal post-Premier League landing spot for a 20-year-old striker at first glance. But when you’re hand-picked by the present-day Rouge et Blanc, it’s not by chance and for Hornby, it might well be the perfect springboard for his fledgeling career.