Norway has always been known for being the home of hidden footballing gems, but it seems like their capability of producing such special talents are often overlooked.
Some of the wonderful talents that have risen through the ranks of Norwegian clubs have now plied their trades and made their names in various European clubs outside Norway - namely Martin Odegaard, Kristoffer Ajer, Sander Berge, and Rafik Zekhnini for example.
Some have also made moves to clubs around Europe recently - with names such as Erling Braut Haland who joined Red Bull Salzburg, Tobias Heintz joining Kasimpasa, John Kitolano signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Julian Ryerson who decided to leave Viking FK for Union Berlin.
But there are some others who remained at Eliteserien (at least for the time being) - and they are as a matter of fact pretty much as talented, if not more, than the names that I've mentioned before.
Here are the 11 hottest U21 talents from Eliteserien.
1. Tobias Christensen - Age 18 - Attacking Midfielder
The 2000-born versatile midfielder joined Norwegian side IK Start in June 2015 from FK Vigor on a free transfer.
Christensen who was 15 at the time, made an immediate impact and was quickly promoted to the senior establishment around a year later.
He finally made his senior debut with Start in a match against Fredrikstad where he started as a right midfielder. He played for 71 minutes before getting substituted.
The 2017 season proved to be his breakthrough season as he went on to make 25 appearances, creating 2 goals and 5 assists in the process as he helped his team secure a 2nd place finish in the OBOS-ligaen and of course an automatic promotion to Eliteserien.
Christensen made 30 appearances in the 2018 Eliteserien scoring and providing 2 goals and 2 assists. His team were unfortunately unsuccessful in holding their place in the Eliteserien and were relegated again to the OBOS-ligaen.
Christensen is a versatile midfielder who's shown to be able to play as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, wide midfielder, and even as a winger and a striker.
He has a very good touch and ball control. He's comfortable with the ball and good with his feet. Quite adept at creating chances and pretty intelligent tactically.
There haven't been any rumours linking him with a move to both domestic or international clubs, but scouts surely should take a closer look at him especially when the season starts this March.
2. Sigurd Gronli - Age 18 - Attacking Midfielder
The small and agile midfielder was born on October 17, 2000. He is the youth product of Tromso and was only recently promoted to the senior team.
He made his debut on the 7th of July 2018. Being only 17-year-old at the time, he came on at the 81st minute and made an immediate impact by delivering an impressive assist despite his team ending up losing the game 2-1 in an away game against league leaders Rosenborg BK.
He has gathered up 9 games and 184 minutes of playing time whilst scoring one goal and creating two others in the process.
His team ended up finishing mid-table in Eliteserien
Gronli could play anywhere from a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, and even as a striker.
He is expected to get more game time next season but of course, it won't be an easy task for him as the competition for his position is pretty tight - but as long as he can impress head coach Simo Valakari with his performances both on the training ground and on matches, he should be getting the game time he deserved.
3. Erik Tobias Sandberg - Age 19 - Centre-Back
Born on February 27 in the year of 2000 - the centre-back who only had his 19th birthday just yesterday was actually a youth player of Lillestrom who managed to impress the gaffer and earn a chance to play for the first team in 2016, but he subsequently failed to make a single appearance with the club that season.
He managed to make his first-ever senior debut in the 2017 Eliteserien match against Aalesund where he came in very late in the game but there was simply not enough time for him to make a lasting impression.
Sandberg finally made his full debut on 10th of June 2018 in a 0-0 draw against Odds BK.
This season he managed to collect a total of 8 appearances across all competitions and scored a goal.
He seemed like a very promising ball-playing defender. He's comfortable on the ball, his passes were perfectly weighted and accurate, he's strong in the air and on the ground, and he seemed to possess a decent amount of pace as well.
Definitely a player we should take a closer look this year.
4.Ola Solbakken - Age 20 - Right/Left Winger
Originally a youth player of Rosenborg, Solbakken made his move to Eliteserien side Ranheim in the winter of last year.
The left-footed winger had a pretty slow start to his career at Ranheim but eventually managed to establish himself as a starter in the second half of the 2018 Eliteserien campaign.
Solbakken made 11 appearances in total in all competitions last year, providing one assist in the process.
He's able to play on either side of the wing but he's more often deployed on the right side.
He has decent pace but seemed a bit slow in starting his runs. He has very good ball control and seemed pretty proficient at dribbling. He has a tendency to cut inside with the ball and would sometimes try to curl the ball in when he has adequate time and space.
Seemed like a pretty interesting winger to follow.
5. Tobias Svendsen - Age 19 - Central Midfielder
The 1999-born midfielder Tobias Svendsen has been highly-regarded as one of the brightest prospects by many since his appearance in the NM Cup on the 22nd of April 2015. He was still 15 years of age at that time and though it was only a brief display - many could see that he's an excellent young talent with huge potential.
The brother of Hammarby forward, Sander Svendsen, started his career in the youth establishments of Molde, climbing the ranks quickly, earning himself a place in the senior team even before he turned 17.
In 2016, Svendsen still has not managed to establish himself in the first team but managed to get some very much needed game time with the seniors. On July 9, 2016, he came on as a substitute in the 73rd minute of the game and got himself an assist despite ending the match on the losing side in an Eliteserien clash against Sogndal.
A month later, he was named on the bench again in a match against Odds BK and came on in the last 10 minutes of the game. He managed to score a goal and create another to help his team secure a highly impressive 4-2 win at home.
He's quite a versatile midfielder. He could play anywhere in the centre, from a DM to an AM spot. He could also play wide, either as a wide midfielder or a winger.
He is not really a quick player, but he has exceptional ball control. He seemed to have good vision and awareness and his passes are impressively accurate most of the time. He's pretty agile and proficient at dribbling as well.
Despite being touted as one of the most exciting Norwegian prospects at one time - now Svendsen is still struggling to find his footing in the Norwegian top-flight. He was loaned out to Haugesund last season, but it ended up being an unfruitful season anyway for the youngster. But still, he has lots of time to improve and many are hoping that he could finally gain significant game time to aid his development while on loan at Sandefjord who are playing in the OBOS-ligaen next season.
6. Joshua Kitolano - Age 17 - Central Midfielder
Joshua Kitolano is the brother of the much-revelled Norwegian talent John Kitolano who made the move to Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer.
The 2002-born hot prospect made his first senior appearance with his club, Odds BK in the 15th of April 2018, coming in with only 12 minutes left in a match where they lost 3-0 to Stromsgodset in an Eliteserien clash.
He was a key player of their reserve side before getting the promotion to the senior side.
Kitolano made his first full-match debut only three days after his first appearance in Eliteserien. This time he started as a defensive midfielder in an NM Cup match against Skarphedin IL where his team managed to win with an astounding 9-0 scoreline. He played brilliantly in the match, making his mark with a goal and an assist.
Kitolano became more and more involved with the first team squad as the season went on.
The Congolese-born midfielder is quite versatile and can play anywhere in the centre of the field and either flank. He's good with either foot, pretty quick and agile, and seemed to have excellent stamina for a very young player.
His lacking in strength and overall defensive prowess though makes him a bit unideal for defensive roles, but this, of course, can and shall improve as he gains experience and develops his game.
7. Birk Risa - Age 21 - Left-Back
In 2013, 15-year-old Birk Risa came to London to attend a training session with Premier League giants Arsenal on trial away from his club Sandnes Ulf. At that moment, he was already attracting interests from Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, and Bayern Munich. A deal with any of the aforementioned clubs eventually never happened - but the young Norwegian talent made his move around a year later to Bundesliga outfit FC Koln.
There he rose through the ranks of the club, playing mostly as a winger and a centre-forward. He was actually not so bad in the striker spot as he managed to notch up at least 5 goals in around 20 matches in a season. He was eventually moved aside into the winger role, playing on either side of the flank, before being moved deeper into a full-back role, where he settled in until now.
The 1998-born talent finally moved back to his homeland of Norway, to his current club Odds BK, where he has become an integral part of the team.
Standing 1.88m (6'2) tall, the left-footed wide man is capable of fulfilling his defensive task comfortably and is extremely dangerous when going forward. He is pretty much comfortable playing with either foot despite his left being his favoured side.
He seemed to have a decent amount of pace and quite strong both in the air and on the ground.
Whether or not Risa will make his comeback to one of the European top leagues again someday, we shall see, but he looks very promising right now.
8. Chidera Ejuke - Age 21 - Right/Left Winger
Chidera Ejuke burst onto the scenes of Eliteserien in 2017. He was signed by Norwegian outfit Valerenga from Nigerian club Gombe United.
The 1998-born quick-footed Nigerian winger started with the reserve side, but it really didn't take long for him to impress the gaffer as he was promoted to the first team just around 4 months after. Before that, he also regularly featured in cup games.
The Nigeria youth international ended that season with 31 matches across all competitions to his name, scoring 6 goals while creating one more.
By the next season, he was already a first-team regular. He was featured in a Eurosport special which tipped the midfielder - alongside fellow Nigerian Ifeanyi Matthew - to be one of the top 10 talents to take the Eliteserien by storm. He was ever-present in the 2018 Eliteserien season as he managed to notch up 36 games across all competitions, with a pretty good tally of 5 goals and 4 assists.
His performances - though often dazzling - perhaps still seemed to be lacking effectiveness.
He is very skilful, technically superb, and isn't afraid to showcase his tricks in matches, but the end products are usually just needing.
He is outstandingly pacey, active in offensive areas, and is very good at creating chances, although he seemed to lack strength considerably and a bit clumsy in making decisions in the final third.
9. Hakon Evjen - Age 19 - Right/Left Midfielder
Hakon Evjen started his professional career at a third tier Norwegian club FK Mjolner - who was managed by his father Andreas Evjen - along with his twin brother Henrik Evjen.
He made his first senior appearance at a tender age of 15 in an NM Cup clash against FK Bodo/Glimt which eventually became his next club.
Evjen made his move to Bodo/Glimt in August 2017. He then made his debut with the club in a First Division match against FK Jerv where they won 4-1.
The 2000-born wide man's importance at his current club became more and more prominent in the 2018 Eliteserien season. His ability to play in various positions comfortably surely helped too.
The 19-year-old midfielder appeared in a total of 17 matches in all competitions for FK Bodo/Glimt in Eliteserien, contributing with a goal and an assist.
The Norway youth international possesses a very good amount of pace and is pretty agile and proficient at dribbling. He is very versatile and could play on either flank as a full-back, midfielder, or even winger. He has also played as a central midfielder several times.
He is quite creative, but a bit vulnerable when pressed, perhaps due to his lack of strength and composure on the ball.
Hakon Evjen seemed like a bright talent. He still has a long way to go, but there are still some aspects of his game that he needs to improve.
10. Erik Botheim - Age 19 - Striker
2000-born Erik Botheim started his professional career with FK Lyn. He made his senior debut when he was only 15 in June 2015 for FK Lyn in the Norwegian First Division (OBOS-ligaen). He finished his spell at FK Lyn having made 20 appearances for the club and scoring 5 goals until the 2016 season.
He signed with Norwegian giants Rosenborg in July 2016. The talented young forward finally made his debut in the NM Cup, playing the full 90 against Strindheim where they won 2-0 on 26 April 2017.
The 19-year-old danger man managed to make a total of 10 appearances in all competitions, notching up 4 goals and an assist in the 2018 season.
Botheim isn't really impressively quick but is quite dangerous inside the box. He could play anywhere up front, either as a centre-forward or even a winger on either flank.
Erik Botheim has been linked with a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray as their scouts have been reported watching him as well as some other youngsters in Norway late in 2018.
11. Hugo Vetlesen - Age 19 - Central Midfielder
And the last but not least, Hugo Vetlesen who's currently plying his trades at Stabaek.
Another 2000-born player in this list - he was the youth product of Stabaek.
Belgian-born Vetlesen made his senior debut as a 17-year-old in an Eliteserien match against Aalesund where he played the full 90 minutes as they marched out victorious with the scoreline of 3-1 on 2 April 2017.
He immediately cemented his place in the senior squad and ended up being an integral part of his team. He was ever-present, appearing in a total of 31 games in all competitions and collecting 5 assists in the 2017 season.
He continued his impressive form in the 2018 season. This time he managed to play 30 games across all competitions with a goal and 3 assists to his name.
He's mostly played as a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder. He could also play as a DM or a wide midfielder. He has even played as a winger several times.
Hugo Vetlesen is small, agile, and balanced. He has excellent touch and control and he's quite proficient at dribbling. He has very good stamina and seemed to cover a lot of ground in every match. His passing and vision are particularly impressive though. He seems to be very good at creating chances and pretty calm when under pressure.
Vetlesen has been linked with a move to Turkish outfit Besiktas in the last summer, but a move didn't seem to materialize.
Originally published on Football-Wonderkids.co.uk
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