Patrick Berg really wasn’t playing ball when the Norwegian press tried to get him to break his silence on reports linking the Norway and Bodo/Glimt midfielder with a host of English clubs; West Ham United among them.
No one was ever going to outshine Erling Haaland, of course, although Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup did come closer than most.
Patrick Berg was another underrated performer in Norway’s run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. While West Ham reportedly held talks with Schjelderup in January – prior to his late-season revival under Jose Mourinho – Teamtalk now report that Bodo/Glimt’s talismanic captain has played his way onto the claret and blue wishlist for the summer.
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West Ham United’s midfield lacks runners and ball-carriers without Mateus Fernandes.
Berg, one shy of a half-century of Norway caps, would add physicality in abundance, plus experience, a superb mentality, and what Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen describes as a ‘machine’-like resilience.
West Ham United-linked Patrick Berg in no rush to leave Bodo/Glimt
Remarkably, Berg was back in the Bodo/Glimt XI just six days after Jude Bellingham’s brace ended Norway’s World Cup campaign at the last-eight stage.
The former RC Lens ace scored a further five days after that, in a 3-0 victory over HamKam on Wednesday night.
Quizzed by TV2 at full-time, though, Berg would not be drawn on those West Ham links.
“There has been extreme attention following the World Cup,” he said. “It probably doesn’t just apply to me. I think everyone who was in that squad has experienced that it has engaged the entire country, says Berg.
“Of course, it’s not just me, but several players in Glimt who are attractive. Then it’s Glimt that decides.”
Long-serving – and legendary – head coach Knutsen has turned down countless offers over the years in favour of keeping one of the most romantic stories in European football going. Berg, a four-time Norwegian league champion across two spells in the Arctic Circle, is another who knows precisely how good he’s got it in Glimt.
When Berg struggled to settle at Lens in 2022, he jumped on the first plane back to Norway. West Ham and new director Nils Koppen will have to be at their most persuasive if they are to convince the midfielder to leave his beloved Bodo/Glimt for a second time.
“I just choose to say that I’m having a great time in Bodo. I feel like I can take steps in Glimt,” Berg adds.
“I don’t really have a dream league. I think the [Norwegian] Eliteserien is the most fun to follow. It’s my favourite.”
A Mateus Fernandes-shaped hole in Nuno’s midfield
With only two weeks to go before they kick off the new campaign with an EFL Cup first-round clash against Portsmouth, West Ham’s summer rebuild is yet to really take shape.
A host of potential Mateus Fernandes replacements have been mentioned, albeit with seemingly little progress made towards securing any of them.
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Denil Castillo of FC Midtjylland is one to watch. Koppen came up against the Ecuadorian during his time as the technical director at Copenhagen. Rennes will not stand in Jordan James’ way if the £13 million asking price is met. The names of Connor Barron, Joe Willock and Arne Engels have appeared at various points.
Hammers News can confirm that West Ham have an interest in Celtic playmaker Reo Hatate, too.
Berg may be unlikely, then, but there are plenty of alternatives. It’s just that most Hammers fans would like to see a bit more urgency at this stage of the window.
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