Andreas Schjelderup will not extend his contract at Nordsjaelland with Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal reportedly eyeing the £17 million-rated wonderkid, according to Norwegian publication TV2.
You won’t be surprised to learn that, with the 18-year-old scoring for fun on Scandinavian soil, comparisons with another Norway goal-machine are on the rise. Regardless or whether or not he really is the ‘next Erling Haaland’, a tally of seven goals in 11 league games is quite the return for a player who only celebrated his 18th birthday in June.
According to reports, Schjelderup is already on the radar of Liverpool and Arsenal. Not to mention a handful of Serie A and La Liga teams.
“When such big clubs are interested, of course it gives me a lot of confidence,” the teenager tells Bold. “I just have to continue my development here at the club, and then we’ll see.
“My goal is, of course, to play at the highest level. So when such big clubs come along, it gives a lot of confidence. I do not know (whether I’ll leave Nordsjaelland in January). It depends on what happens.”
Liverpool and Arsenal eye ‘new Haaland’ Andreas Schjelderup
Schjelderup is currently under contract until 2024. According to TV2, however, he currently has no intention of signing an extension. A decision which may force Nordsjaelland to cash in far earlier than they might have liked.
“He is a very special player. He will go to the top in one of the five big leagues (in Europe),” Nordsjaelland coach Flemming Pedersen told Bold after the striker’s match-winning brace in the 3-1 victory over Randers SC.
Schjelderup, who idolises Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and has been likened to both Jack Grealish and Eden Hazard due to his quick feet and ball-carrying prowess, admitted to have turned down a move to Anfield earlier in his career.
“It was hard (turning down Liverpool),” explains Schjelderup, who had trials at Tottenham, Ajax and Bayern Munich (Goal). “Because when you grow up, you watch the big names. And then you hear that they want you, so your head starts to spin,
“But I got a lot of help from my father and agents, who helped me make the right decision.
“It hurt a little bit for me and my dad (not to join Liverpool). But the move here (to Nordsjaelland) was instead of going to an academy at Under-19 or Under-17 level. It felt like this step was the right one for me.”
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