Kristoffer Klaesson is in for a ‘shock’ at Leeds United as the goalkeeper closes in on a move to the Premier League side, Valerenga teammate Kjetil Hauge told Nettavisen.
And he should know too.
Haug spent four years honing his talents in Manchester City’s space-age academy between 2014 and 2018 after all, so a former teammate of Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden is well placed to pass judgement on the differences between football in Norway and football in England.
According to The Athletic, Leeds are on the verge of making Klaesson their latest summer signing, with a man many deem to be a future Norway number one set to undergo a medical at the Elland Road outfit sooner rather than later.
“I think he’s going to get a little shock, to be completely honest,” said Haug, a fellow goalkeeper who should now take Klaesson’s place between the sticks at Valerenga.
“It will be a different everyday life, without so many friends and the comfortable environment around you.
“You enter a performance environment on a completely different level to here, where you feel the competition even more on the body.”
Will Kristoffer Klaesson adapt to life at Leeds United?
Valerenga director Jorgen Ingebrigtsen confirmed last week that Victor Orta, Leeds’ cult hero talentspotter, has been tracking the highly-rated Klaesson since 2019.
There were concerns that he would struggle to obtain the requisite work-permit in a post-Brexit era, although it seems those fears may have been misplaced.
“The club made a choice to prioritize Klaesson in order to sell him on, and now it seems that it will become a reality,” added Haug.
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