' Another Norwegian player on his way to Cardiff '

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By Jon Doel
Cardiff City boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer linked with move for Molde star Jo Inge Berget
23rd Jan 2014
The 23-year-old, who can play in midfield or attack, could be the latest Norwegian to join the Bluebirds


Jo Inge Berget plays for Norway under 21s

Cardiff City are being strongly linked with Molde midfielder Jo Inge Berget.

Reports in Norway say Berget, who shares the same agent as Solskjaer and new recruits Mats Moller Daehli and Magnus Wolff Eikrem, flew to the UK last night, with the Welsh capital believed to be his destination. It is even suggested a deal could be completed this weekend.

The 23-year-old, who can play in midfield or attack, signed for Solskjaer at Molde in 2011, scoring 17 goals in 63 appearances.

He previously had an unsuccessful spell at Italian side Udinese where he was loaned to Norwegian teams Stromsgodset and hometown club Lyn.

If he were to join the Bluebirds, he would become Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's third Norwegian signing of the January window, following the captures of Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Mats Moller Daehli.

No offence but I don't think these type of signings are gonna be good enough to keep us up

No offence but I don't think these type of signings are gonna be good enough to keep us up

no offence but i dot see how you're qualified enough to know better than OGS

If he signs we obviously have to give the lad a chance but on the face of it he doesn't seem to have the quality needed to keep us up. As a bare minimum we need a quality striker, winger, left back and a left sided centre half. Having signed Eikrem, Daehli and probably Zaha surely we didn't need any more midfielders. If Ole sees him as a striker he hasn't got a good strike rate, even in the Norwegian league.

No offence but I don't think these type of signings are gonna be good enough to keep us up

You have to understand that January is hard for clubs to buy in. If a Norwegian manager comes to the PL in January and is able to scoop up some of the very best players from Norway because they will drop absolutely everything to play for their mentor, that sure as hell is better than trawling the lower English divisions for players.

Jo Inge Berget is a fine player when you consider how few the options are. I'm sure Ole would rather have had Diouf or Vossen, but Jo Inge is still capable of lifting the squad. And to be frank, any lift will do.

Norwegian players are also extra easy to pick up in January as it is one of the few leagues in Europe with season break now. January in Norway is like July in England, as far as the transfer market goes.

not many players int he world start off as a regular in the premier league or la liga, not many of them set the world alight either, i mean who had heard of ronaldo when fergie paid all that money for him from a random league?

an unknown player is just as much of a risk as an established player. odemwingie a proven premier league scorer has hardly set south wales a light. its down to the player and how he adapts and fits into a managers system half the time.

hence witts being great under DJ and under average under malky!

The only advantage of this potential signing is the price - his contract runs out in the summer (IIRC) and he has publicly stated he doesn't want to continue playing in Molde. He's an Attacking Midfielder/Deep-Lying Forward, simply not good enough for PL in my opinion. He was signed by Udinese when he was young and had difficulties settling in (not that I think Cardiff will too much change, but there's always the concern).

No offence but I don't think these type of signings are gonna be good enough to keep us up

Norwegian players are also extra easy to pick up in January as it is one of the few leagues in Europe with season break now. January in Norway is like July in England, as far as the transfer market goes.

Which also means they aren't match-fit. The season in Norway starts in mid-March, so the players have just started training again.

No offence but I don't think these type of signings are gonna be good enough to keep us up

You have to understand that January is hard for clubs to buy in. If a Norwegian manager comes to the PL in January and is able to scoop up some of the very best players from Norway because they will drop absolutely everything to play for their mentor, that sure as hell is better than trawling the lower English divisions for players.

Jo Inge Berget is a fine player when you consider how few the options are. I'm sure Ole would rather have had Diouf or Vossen, but Jo Inge is still capable of lifting the squad. And to be frank, any lift will do.

Norwegian players are also extra easy to pick up in January as it is one of the few leagues in Europe with season break now. January in Norway is like July in England, as far as the transfer market goes.

I can't say I've seen the lad play but he played well for the Norwegian u21 team that ripped England apart in the summer so I am happy we have got him.

I think everyone is a bit weary because of what has happened with Cornelius, but if he hits the ground running he will soon become a hero here.

Lots of speculation today - just like a week ago, but we'll see when if pen hits paper.

I think he'd actually be a good pickup, maybe not a starter off the bat- but someone who can come off the bench and play any attacking role for OGS. I understand people want experience and a starter, but depending on the price tag a smart pick up for the future, if available, shouldn't be frowned upon either.

To give everyone a little insight of what kind of player Berget is, I'll give you guys a little description:

Jo Inge Berget is a fairly non-traditional Scandinavian player. He has a decent shot, is a good passer and his ball control/technique is actually pretty good. He was picked up at only 16 years old (if I remember correctly) from Lyn (same club Mikel played for, although Berget's spell in Lyn was a a few years after Mikel's departure) to the Italian side Udinese. He was very young and wasn't really given his chance. Moved back to Norway and Lyn once again on loan and did his stuff really well. Got picked up at Strømsgodset (who won the league in Norway last year) and was regarded one of, if not the best, player(s) there. Was quickly picked up at Molde when OGS took over that club.

He is pretty quick on his feet (although no Aubameyang) and he is considered to be a creative player. His top level is very, very good - his biggest challenge is to keep delivering top performances. He is pretty stable performance wise, but in order to make him perform on his highest level more often, a move like this might be what he needs. A fun player to watch, has some decent skills and during the U21 European Championship last summer (2013) he was very, very good. Probably the best, most consistent, player on the Norwegian side which took a suprising 3rd place (losing to Spain in the semi-finals which then went on to win vs. Italy in the final). He is also very hungry in terms of developing as a footballer.

Can be a useful, tidy, little player for Cardiff.

I am not allowed to edit my post, so I will add something here instead. Here is a video of some of his performances the last couple years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjPkKrKNh04

He has some pretty interesting first touches, he is a very classy player. Reminds me sometimes of Berbatov (he has slick touches, is sort of a gentleman's player). He also originally started out as a striker (therefore his finishing is pretty good), was moved back to the "number 10 role" behind the striker, in Molde he played as a "skewed" right winger (I google translated that, I have no idea what the English word is) - it's somewhat between the number 10 role and right winger.

Not sure if this guy is good enough for the prem, don't know one thing about him tho so can't really pass judgement, unlike some people on here who think they know his shoe size

The only advantage of this potential signing is the price - his contract runs out in the summer (IIRC) and he has publicly stated he doesn't want to continue playing in Molde. He's an Attacking Midfielder/Deep-Lying Forward, simply not good enough for PL in my opinion. He was signed by Udinese when he was young and had difficulties settling in (not that I think Cardiff will too much change, but there's always the concern).

On this I agree. Matts will be sensational, Wolf not so. But Molde do not have 11 Premiership style
players and Ole has the best two. I do not understand what his mindset is with all this?

This is what Roy Hodgson did when he went to Fulham. Signed a load of Norwegian players an it worked for him.

His contract is running out, it would be a free transfer, he's worked with OGS, Dempsey, Eikrem and Møller before, so why not? He's a quality player.

Hello Cardiff! or should I say wimbledon?

Jo Inge Berget, Mads Møller Dæhli, Eikrem and OGS all have the same agent, Jim Solbakken. Who "coincidentally" was OGS best man at his wedding and best friend. No wonder when you see the amounts of millions Jim has earned on OGS. At his time in Norway OGS only bought players from his friend, so you will see a lot of those guys!

Why am i calling you wimbledon? well the owner of molde, and "godfather/suggardaddy" to OGS and Jim Solbakken is no other than Kjell Inge Røkke. Yes the verry same who bought Wimbledon FC and moved them out to Milton Keynes ten years ago or so. With a norwegian managers and norwegian players! Good lyck with that.

Jo Inge Berget was at my norwegian club (curent champions Stromsgodset) a few years ago on loan from Udinese (italy), a club he went to quite young. Udinese realized he wasnt good enough so we got him pretty cheap on loan. Not a goalscorer, but decent as a man behind the striker or AMC compared to the standars in the Norwegian Tippeliga. After two years on loan, Stromsgodset in 2011 decided he wasnt worth spending money on so he was transfered from Udinese to Molde (Jim Solbakkens transfer). It looked at the time as a favor OGS did to his friend as the player is not worth half his price.

I´ve seen JIB about 30 times in the norwegian premiership for Stromsgodset, and a few times for molde. This guy is not premierleague material.

Thats my two cents.. Now I just want to wish you all a good season, hope you survive!

-Always blue!

Hello Cardiff! or should I say wimbledon?

Jo Inge Berget, Mads Møller Dæhli, Eikrem and OGS all have the same agent, Jim Solbakken. Who "coincidentally" was OGS best man at his wedding and best friend. No wonder when you see the amounts of millions Jim has earned on OGS. At his time in Norway OGS only bought players from his friend, so you will see a lot of those guys!

Why am i calling you wimbledon? well the owner of molde, and "godfather/suggardaddy" to OGS and Jim Solbakken is no other than Kjell Inge Røkke. Yes the verry same who bought Wimbledon FC and moved them out to Milton Keynes ten years ago or so. With a norwegian managers and norwegian players! Good lyck with that.

Jo Inge Berget was at my norwegian club (curent champions Stromsgodset) a few years ago on loan from Udinese (italy), a club he went to quite young. Udinese realized he wasnt good enough so we got him pretty cheap on loan. Not a goalscorer, but decent as a man behind the striker or AMC compared to the standars in the Norwegian Tippeliga. After two years on loan, Stromsgodset in 2011 decided he wasnt worth spending money on so he was transfered from Udinese to Molde (Jim Solbakkens transfer). It looked at the time as a favor OGS did to his friend as the player is not worth half his price.

I´ve seen JIB about 30 times in the norwegian premiership for Stromsgodset, and a few times for molde. This guy is not premierleague material.

Thats my two cents.. Now I just want to wish you all a good season, hope you survive!

-Always blue!

Welcome

I dont like the Wimbledon bit

But thanks for an interesting post


Your right " WE WILL ALWAYS BE BLUE "

I wonder how OGS is being treated so gently as this cosy relationship of only buying from his best friend?! More importantly though wouldn't people rather see signings from Europe's strongest leagues? Spain, German, Italy even. Rather than the Norwegian league which has produced few European teams of note. Look at Medel.

Can't see what our new head scout is being paid for whillst OGS keeps buying from his chum in Norway!

Def a Rosenborg fan from Norway that hates Solskjær. Rosenborg and Molde have a Man Utd/Liverpool realationship. JIB is not at all that bad. I think you all will be surpised by the lad. I also think Solskjær is thinking of the future as much as the nest six months with these signings. If they do remotely well, they will be sold with profit in the future.

As you Welsh must know about Norwegians, we are negative by nature. We have somethink we call "janteloven" that we live by. I'll explain later. To give you some sense of how Norwegians think. It's more respected to win £10 mill on the lottery than to earn it yourself. A person who has worked his whole life to become a millionaire, should give it all back to the country/people or he/she is egoistic, do not dare to use it on yourself.

As for Janteloven (The Law of Jante), 10 laws:

You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are as good as us.
You're not to think you are smarter than us.
You're not to convince yourself that you are better than us.
You're not to think you know more than us.
You're not to think you are more important than us.
You're not to think you are good at anything.
You're not to laugh at us.
You're not to think anyone cares about you.
You're not to think you can teach us anything.

Ergo, any Norwegian player just cannot be as good as anyone from everywhere else.

I say, give Solskjær and the Norwegian lads a chanse, and draw judgement come may.

I wonder how OGS is being treated so gently as this cosy relationship of only buying from his best friend?! More importantly though wouldn't people rather see signings from Europe's strongest leagues? Spain, German, Italy even. Rather than the Norwegian league which has produced few European teams of note. Look at Medel.

Can't see what our new head scout is being paid for whillst OGS keeps buying from his chum in Norway!

regardless if his friend is also representing a few of the players he's brought in - it's pretty standard for a manager to bring in some of his old players that he knows.

Hard to say at the moment as his signings haven't played much, although I'd of course love to see OGS succeed...

As he already said, Mats was already scouted by Malky and was a target of his as well. Anyways again I think this is all a bit premature still - still a lot of football to be played and as long as we stay up, does it really matter much if he naturally has a bias towards players he's worked with for years?

*shrug*

a rosenborg fan? well then you didnt read my post.

did not say anything about the ability of Dæhli or eikrem, just about JIB. But time will show. Also thought it would be interesting for Cardiff fans to read about the OGS - Solbakken (agent) link, and fun/scary fact about wimbledon.

It has nothing to do with "janteloven", but its a fact that if youre not outstanding in the norwegian leagu, youre not cut for the premier league. See for an example Stefan Johansen who was this years player of the year, and sold to Celtic. He is way better, but still no clubs in the EPL wanted him. Perhaps he could be a cardif palyer, but wait, he dosent have Solbakken as an agent so not interesting for OGS. Lets face it, norwegian players arent good enough yet!

a rosenborg fan? well then you didnt read my post.

did not say anything about the ability of Dæhli or eikrem, just about JIB. But time will show. Also thought it would be interesting for Cardiff fans to read about the OGS - Solbakken (agent) link, and fun/scary fact about wimbledon.

It has nothing to do with "janteloven", but its a fact that if youre not outstanding in the norwegian leagu, youre not cut for the premier league. See for an example Stefan Johansen who was this years player of the year, and sold to Celtic. He is way better, but still no clubs in the EPL wanted him. Perhaps he could be a cardif palyer, but wait, he dosent have Solbakken as an agent so not interesting for OGS. Lets face it, norwegian players arent good enough yet!

First of all.. Winbledon had Egil "Drillo" Olsen as the manager.... THAT should be the headliner right there. Solskjær has a much much more British approach to the game. He knows the culture as well as the PL. Drillo knows Østfold, rubberboots and longpassing/defensive football. Did well with Norway in the 90's... but come on...

As for Stefan Johansen, yeah.. def a good midtfielder. And as for the Solskjær/Solbakken link, they all kknow about it on this forum, as it has been adressed many times before.

So, you chose as a manager to use an agent that you trust.... I think trusting an agent, that sure as hell must be nice.

Confirmed.

Welcome to Cardiff, Jo Inge Berget!

Berget has the chance to become a fantastic player, he was amazing for Norway U-21, and played an amazing game against France that took us (norway) to the U-21 champs, and to me he was MOTM in that game, playing against Varane!

OGS has now signed the 2 most exciting players from Tippeligaen, I just hope they get one or two games this season =)

Bit of an underwhelming signing.

Bit of an underwhelming signing.

I think OGS is thinking future as much as everything else. Also january is a tricky transferwindow. But I'm sure there will be more signings. These three Norwegians were cheap, and got signed quickly. (knowing the agent helps there) As for other players with greedy agents, so much more shit needs to be taken care of before anyone signs (happy agent financially). So I'm betting you'll see a defender and a striker coming through the gates as is Zaha. Pretty darn good january if you ask me.

No offence but I don't think these type of signings are gonna be good enough to keep us up

no offence but i dot see how you're qualified enough to know better than OGS

No but it's his opinion which he's entitled to.
If people haven't got an opinion, then there's no forum, fool.

Bit of an underwhelming signing.

I think OGS is thinking future as much as everything else. Also january is a tricky transferwindow. But I'm sure there will be more signings. These three Norwegians were cheap, and got signed quickly. (knowing the agent helps there) As for other players with greedy agents, so much more shit needs to be taken care of before anyone signs (happy agent financially). So I'm betting you'll see a defender and a striker coming through the gates as is Zaha. Pretty darn good january if you ask me.

Thinking of the future is all well and good, but I'd like to see players come in to help us stay up. I'm not overly excited about Zaha either if I'm honest. But I suppose in ole we trust.