Fulham confirmed the signing of Havard Nordtveit on loan until the end of the season from Hoffenheim. The 28-year-old has had experience in England before with stints at West Ham and Arsenal reserves. But the burning question is can he help save the Cottagers’ season?
After just 10 appearances for Norwegian side Haugesund, an impressed Arsene Wenger started negotiations with the club to bring him to London. After much deliberation, the transfer was complete and Nordtveit signed for the Gunners.
After a failed loan spells at Salamanca and Lillestrøm, the defender moved to FC Nürnberg on a season-long loan where he made his name as a defensive midfielder. He then signed for Borussia Mönchengladbach on a permanent deal after failing to make a single senior appearance for Arsenal. Next up, the player made a move to West Ham on a five-year-deal but its was a disastrous year for him and he eventually moved back to the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim in 2017.
On signing for Claudio Ranieri’s team, the 28 year old admitted that he was no stranger to a relegation battle. In truth, he has had that situation with Monchengladbach and his ability to play in various positions would help Fulham in a massive way.
Nordtveit has made 174 senior appearances in the Bundesliga and has 45 senior caps for Norway. The former West Ham man comes in with bags of experience and could be man who could keep Fulham in the Premier League. The Norwegian can play anywhere across the midfield and in defence, the kind of versatility any team in the world would value.
The 28-year-old can be accommodated in the midfield next to summer signing Jean Michel Seri. The duo can provide much-needed steel in the center of the park and help in transition from defence to attack. With over 80% pass accuracy this season for Hoffenheim and a career average of 3.8 long balls per game, the likes of Andre Schurrle, Ryan Babel and Alexandar Mitrovic can expect to be fed onto goal. (Whoscored.com)
He is rarely ever dispossessed with an average of 0.4 bad touches a game throughout his career of 243 games. (Whoscored.com)
All in all, we can expect big things from Nordtveit and he possesses the qualities to improve Fulham’s defence and midfield. This move has all the makings of a positive upturn for the Cottagers, provided the player lives up to what he has been doing in the past couple of years.