Arsenal sign Norwegian centre-back
242 comments June 16th, 2007
After much toing and froing, haggling and waggling, and hokeying and kokeying, Arsenal have their second signing of the summer. If you thought the purchase of Wookash Fabyanski sent shockwaves through the football world, then the Premiership will be positively cowering at the arrival of Havard Nordveit from FK Haugesund for a fee eventually rising to £2m.
It’s an awful lot of money for a 16-year old centre-back – even Philippe Senderos was a year or so older when we paid a similar amount for his services. However, Nordveit was being tracked by other big clubs, Manchester United included, so it has to be seen as a decent purchase. And yet he does look rather like Alex Hleb. Worrying.
Scandinavians tend to settle well in the Premiership though, and whilst we’re constantly panicking about just when Cesc or Fran Merida will decide to up sticks and return to Real Madrid or Barcelona, I can’t see Havard making it big with us then declaring his intention to return to Rosenborg or Tromso so he can have a crack at the Tippeligaen.
Whether or not this is the transfer that agent Barry Silkman claimed he’d be completing for the club next Tuesday on last night’s Newsnight (14 mins in) remains to be seen. It’s probably not. He’s probably referring to the sale of Thierry Henry for thruppence and an orange.
Finally: what has the world come to. Readers of a sensitive disposition should not click that link.