Football Season Guide

Vålerenga had a mostly frustrating time last year as they never managed to get on a sustained run of good form and once again remained well out of contention for the European places. The start of 2020 also brought the end of Rony Deila’s tenure at the Oslo club, with the manager never really fulfilling the lofty ambitions set when he arrived. The new man in charge is an experienced and pragmatic manager in Dag-Eliev Fagermo, someone who can be caustic and confrontational off the pitch with his comments but has proven very efficient in getting a lot out of his teams over the years. He did really well at Odd last season when he almost got them into Europe and he will certainly set big aims for him and the team given the bigger resources he will have at Vålerenga. The main new addition to the squad is actually a well-known acquaintance of Fagermo in the excellent midfielder Fredrik Oldrup Jensen, who has bags of experience at this level and should become a key player. In terms of departures, Mohammed Abu sticks out as the most important one while Samuel Fridjonsson departed for the Bundesliga but he was out on loan last season anyway. Vålerenga have the look of a side capable of challenging at the top end and boast a practical and assured manager, who knows what he is doing. His main aim should be solidifying the defence and nurturing the attacking talent of players like Aaron Donnum and Bard Finne. The team looks well covered in central midfield and at full back, where Christian Borchgrevink is one to watch. Another exciting youngster is goalie Kristoffer Klaesson, who is tipped to be a first-choice this season. The lack of a genuine focal point in attack could be an issue though.