As they search for another new winger this summer, Andreas Schjelderup may have caught the eye of Liverpool supporters while helping Norway to a win over Brazil at the World Cup on Sunday.
The day undoubtedly belonged to Erling Haaland, who simply did what he does best and fired two unstoppable efforts past Alisson Becker to dump Brazil out at the last-16 stage.
But Haaland could not have done it without Schjelderup, who provided both goals, with the first being an excellently inviting cross which was just begging for the Man City superstar to bury.
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With the winger market going a little cold due to the difficulty in signing Yan Diomande or Bradley Barcola, Liverpool may have to look elsewhere, and perhaps Schjelderup could now be an option.
As it turns out, however, the Reds have already tried to sign the Benfica man once. As he explained in 2022, Schjelderup turned down a move to Anfield as a 16-year-old back in 2020.
Schjelderup couldn’t see the pathway at Liverpool
Though still only 22, Schjelderup has been around for a while already, having burst onto the scene with FC Nordsjaelland in 2021.
The Norwegian had joined the Danish side one year earlier, turning down Liverpool in favour of a more direct route to the first-team at a lower level.
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“Of course, it was a bit hard (turning down Liverpool), because when you grow up, you watch the big names and then you hear that they want you, so your head starts to spin,” Schjelderup said after revealing that he had even been on trial with the Reds.
“It hurt a little bit for me and my dad in our hearts.
“The move here (to Nordsjaelland) was instead of going to an academy at Under-19 or Under-17 level,” he added. “It felt like this step in the ocean was the right one for me.”
His confidence was proven right, and he ultimately earned a move to Benfica in January 2023. Though it has at times been hard going for Schjelderup in Lisbon, he blossomed under Jose Mourinho last season, scoring 11 goals and laying on six assists.
Could Schjelderup come back onto Liverpool’s radar?
With the going slow over reported top target Barcola, there has been a feeling that Liverpool could instead pull off a move out of the blue for another attacking signing.
If that does happen, then Schjelderup has shown that he could certainly be a candidate.
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Benfica do not usually sell cheap, and it has been reported that the Norway international has a €100m release clause. His star turn at the World Cup will embolden the Portuguese club that they could secure a big fee to sell him.
Nevertheless, he would surely still be a fair bit cheaper than Barcola, and though he primarily plays as a left-sided forward, as evidenced by Sunday’s game with Brazil, maybe Liverpool will see potential in Schjelderup to play a more versatile role as well.
Given his history with Liverpool, and the Reds’ need for new attackers, this may be one worth keeping an eye on.
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