Picture From Wikipedia Cropped And Resized For Young Guns
Former Norway Coach Nils Johan Semb, says Arsenal’s Håvard Nordtveit is the “Brightest Defensive Talent In Europe” speaking to Haugesund Avis he confirmed the 17 year old is in his opinion the best young defender in Europe.
So with the current defensive crisis as it is, i thought we should take a look at the Centre Back and inform you of how he is settling in, the Norwegian signed for Arsenal in the summer for a fee of around 20 million Norwegian kroner (approximately £1.5 million English pounds).
Footballing Background
Havard was born in the industrial town of Vats, in Norway on the 21st of June 1990, from a very young age he followed his brother in to football, starting out at hometown club Vats 94, his skills of reading and understanding the game became clear at a very early age, and as he progressed through the ranks he was snapped up by Skjold IL, but he did not spend long with the club, soon moving on to bigger and brighter things with FK Haugesund, as he grew up, his talents started to flourish, his classy style and natural leadership qualities soon meant he was pushed in to the Reserve setup where reports were being made and sent to the top clubs from around the world, soon he was promoted to the first team, and after 3 appearances, Manchester United came calling, and offered Nordtveit a trial in January 2007, he travelled to England and spent one week training with the Red Devils, Arsenal and Tottenham were both now admirers of Nordtveit, but he returned to Norway where he would go on to make a further nine appearance’s during the season.
Transfer Opportunity
By the time the summer of 2007 had come around, Havard was already a regular for Norway’s Youth teams, being named skipper of the Under 17s, and featuring for the Under 19’s, Manchester United then followed up their interested with a firm bid, which was rejected by Haugesund, but Arsenal then made their move, having watched various tapes and seen reports on Nordtveit, Ken Friar (the man with the cheque book), Steve Rowley (the man with an eye for talent) and Arsene Wenger (the man who will manage him) travelled to Norway to try and tie up a deal.
Deal Done With Arsenal
After watching him play in a friendly talks continued between the two clubs after the full time whistle blew, with the first bid being rejected, but finally a deal was reached, for an initial £1.5 million which could rise to £2.5 million subject to appearance’s in the first team.
An excellent bit of business for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, as well as putting one over his old rival Alex Ferguson.
He soon made his debut, after a few days training with his new team mates, he was named amongst the substitutes for the regular pre-season outing against Barnet, he came on in the second half for Kerrea Gilbert getting his first taste of English football, playing the final minutes of the half alongside Gavin Hoyte, the pair would go on to be regular stoppers for the Reserves this term.
Before the season even started, Wenger became an admirer, speaking to the club’s official website Arsenal.com the Frenchman said:
“What I liked in this boy is his intelligence and his mental strength, He is very mature. In fact I have rarely seen a boy of his age so mature.”
But the boss was also clear Havard was not ready for competitive action despite being given the squad number 35,
“Physically we need to get him up to the Premiership level, at the moment he is a bit behind. But technically and tactically he is already there. He is an intelligent boy with good vision. He has a good pass out from the back and he is strong too.
“I hope that he can develop well.”
So with already applause from the boss, all he had to do was get his boots on and show what he was all about, first of all he travelled with the Reserves to Malaysia, where he took part in the Champions Youth Cup, it was a difficult tournament for the youngsters with the heavy work load of managing training, and playing every 2 two days, took its toll, among with the intense heat, in the end the Gunners were knocked out in the group stages.
Nordtveit was then named skipper by Neil Banfield during the first three Reserve League fixtures, he scored his first goal in the 2-2 draw with Birmingham a tap in after a scramble on a corner kick, showing he can make an impact in both boxes,
But an injury ended his excellent start to the season, his classy style brought many admirers from fans, with an obvious disappointment at his injury, but with the season in Norway overlapping with the English season, he failed to get a proper rest, but he took three months off, and returned against Fulham on January 2nd as a substitute, and completing the full 90 minutes against Birmingham City a week later.
Havard also admitted he enjoyed the break, as it gave him chance to Analise and study all aspects of his game, as well as develop physically.
“On a bigger picture, three months is not that bad of a time to be out,” added Nordtveit. “I have been able to spend time in the gym and focus on other parts of my game.
“It hasn’t made settling in more difficult at all actually. The physiotherapists have taken great care of me. Neil, Steve, the fitness coaches, everybody. They have all been really nice to me, taken care of me, always chatted to me, told me to think positive.
“I went home for two weeks to relax so that is good. It was my first holiday in a long time. I had come straight from the domestic season in Norway to here, so perhaps it was time for my body to have a little rest!”
So after six months with Arsenal, does he live up to the tag as the best defensive talent in Europe? as yet I’m not fully convinced, after all we have not seen much of him, but the little we have seen certainly suggests he is one of the best around, his intelligence and style as well as his attitude mean he has everything he needs to make it here, read more about his skills below.
Havard’s Skills & Qualities
Tall, quick and blessed with a superb ability to read the play, predicting striker’s movements before the play progresses, he has proved an excellent asset since his arrival in the summer, his tackling ability needs some work, but as he grows up and develops in to a man, that will come along with his physical presence and overall strength.
Article By - J.Sanderson