Annoying expert: – Can have consequences
In the summer transfer window, Veton Berisha, Sebastian Sebulonsen and Sigurd Haugen have signed for Hammarby, Brøndby and AGF from Aarhus.
In addition, another Aalesund profile, Simen Bolkan Nordli, agrees with Randers when the contract expires at the end of the season.
Viking has previously sold Joe Bell and Henrik Heggheim, also to Brøndby.
That frustrates TV 2’s football expert Yaw Ihle Amankwah.
– It is a shame that other Scandinavian clubs have to become a stepping stone for Norwegian players. My heart is in Norwegian football and the hope is that we realize that we are good enough here at home, and dare to say no to waiting for bigger transfers to bigger leagues.
– Mine is about money. Both in Sweden and Denmark, they have a completely different ownership model, where a billionaire can spit in as many feel, explains Amankwah.
May have consequences
Berisha, Sebulonsen and Haugen have each been sold for the summer for between 10 and 20 million Norwegian kroner. At the same time, Viking has not yet brought in any replacements.
– Then the math suddenly doesn’t turn out so well when they haven’t managed and replaced it right away. They have sold themselves out of the gold medal game and this can and will have consequences for European participation, says Amankwah.
Viking’s sporting director, Erik Nevland, talks about challenges in the work of finding a new man who can fill the large void left by Berisha.
– We have worked with alternatives all the way, but as we have said before, it is a difficult mark, and the players we have so far put in have been too expensive or gone to other clubs, says Nevland Aftenbladet.
In Denmark, foreign footballers receive the tax benefit “research scheme”, often called the artist’s tax. This is a lower tax than what the country’s citizens have.
In Norway, on the other hand, foreign practitioners do not receive the same tax benefits.
– I see this as a problem if Norway, with all the positive things that are happening, has to have challenges here that the others do not have and that it is competing on different terms, says Amankwah.
In Sweden, they have abandoned the scheme. They have replaced it with a tax-free sum players get when they sign for the club.
– Completely different culture
Stig Torbjørnsen is chief scout at IFK Göteborg and has a good overview of the market in Scandinavia. He ranks the Danish league highest in terms of financial terms, with Sweden and Norway tied.
But Norway fails in one thing:
– Sweden has something that the Norwegian league does not have with full stands and a completely different supporter culture. It is not the same intensity in Norway, says Torbjørnsen to TV 2.
Berisha has also spoken about various things from Viking to his new club. At a Hammarby match, over 20,000 spectators are usually present.
– It is something different than in Norway. It was much more pressure, more atmosphere and many more in the stands, Berisha added Aftonbladet and added that Norwegian supporter culture has something to learn from Sweden.
– On Sunday I was at the Vålerenga match. A team that has five straight wins, lots of interesting players and yet only around 5000 come to the stands. It is surprising and disappointing, says Torbjørnsen.
Even informed Vålerenga about 7845 tickets sold for the 4-0 victory over Aalesund.
Save more dragons
In the aforementioned match, 19-year-old Odin Thiago Holm and 21-year-old Osame Sahraoui distinguished themselves with each scoring.
TV 2’s football expert fears that Vålerenga may suffer the same fate as Viking and Aalesund.
– Vålerenga has two exciting talents in Osame Sahraoui and Odin Thiago Holm. Then it’s a bit of a bummer for everyone who is happy at the club if they were to be sold for 15-20 million to a Scandinavian club, says Amankwah.
On Monday, TV 2 learned from Torbjørnsen’s club IFK Göteborg that they have made several offers for midfielder Tobias Christensen, but Vålerenga does not want to sell the player.
The scout says that the general impression of the Eliteserien among soccer scouts in Europe is good and that it is on the way up.
Summary: Vålerenga – Aalesund 4-0
– The Norwegian league is interesting. The players are a bit expensive, but have become noticeably better in recent years. It comes from good performances in the national team, solid performances in Europe and the fact that the U21 team will play in the EC.
– They also have many good players abroad and have sold for a lot of money in Europe, he says.