Arsenal are facing heavy competition from Everton and La Liga outfit, Real Betis for the services of Sander Berge who currently plays for KRC Genk. The 20-year-old midfielder has been on Arsenal’s books for quite some time now due to his impressive bouts in the Belgian First Division.
Berge is already first-team regular 13 total appearances this season, spending the last 4 months on the sidelines with an injury. He has represented Norway at every level right from the U15 to the senior team, 25 times for the youth sides and 7 for the senior team.
He hails from a family of athletes who have played basketball at prestigious levels and this explain’s Berge’s giant 6 feet 5 inches structure. He followed in his grandfather’s shoes, who played as a left-back for Valerenga from 1945 to 1957.
One would think that a player with Berge’s figure might not be the best fit for a game like a football but the 20-year-old has proven us all wrong over the course of his career. Taking up the heart of the park on a regular basis, Berge has carried out his midfield duties with grace and great composure.
He is a defensive option who is best known for his ability to win back possession in the central areas and service his teammates through a range of passing techniques. Berge is a commanding head who is very calculated with his approach – a very good sign for such a young professional in top-flight football.
At 18, he boasted the second best pass accuracy (88.9%) in the entire division in 2016 from a noteworthy 60.4 passes per game.
Arsenal would be ever so lucky to land the services of a player they quite desperately need after the departure of Francis Coquelin over the January window. Their defensive shape has been shambolic, to say the least, and Wenger is already under the microscope for his team’s poor run of form in recent times.
Granit Xhaka has not been clinical enough in the holding midfield role with Mohamed Elneny spending most of his minutes on the benches due to his own offensive shortcomings. The kind of defensive vulnerability that the Gunners have showcased this season will in no way win them a title or any major silverware anytime soon.
If the following season is to be of any improvement from the current one, further additions are highly necessary and Berge should be on the priority list. It would be a shame for the Arsenal faithful to see the Norwegian rise to stardom 5 years down the line for a different team.
