On Thursday 22nd August 2024, the Club announced the signing of Sander Berge from Burnley for an undisclosed fee on a five year deal, keeping him at Fulham until the summer of 2029, with a Club option to extend by a further 12 months.
A defensive midfielder who is also at home playing further forward as an 8, Berge began his career in his native Norway with Asker, but didn’t have to wait long before a move to top flight Vålerenga, where he scored on his debut having just turned 17.
After 43 appearances and winning the division’s Young Player of the Year award, Berge took on a new challenge in Belgium, joining KRC Genk in January 2017.
He was immediately thrown into UEFA Europa League action, helping his new employers reach the Quarter-Finals where they were narrowly beaten by Celta Vigo over two legs.
The highlight of his time in Belgium came in 2018/19, when he helped Genk claim their first league title in eight years.
That led to a first taste of Europe’s elite continental competition, and in December 2019 he was named in the Champions League Breakthrough Team of the Year, alongside the likes of Kai Havertz, Dani Olmo, Rodrygo and Erling Haaland.
A move to the UK followed as Sheffield United made Berge their record signing to bring him to Bramall Lane in January 2020, and he went on to help his new team to one of their finest ever campaigns as they finished ninth in the Premier League.
The following year was a tougher one for the Blades as they suffered relegation, but their efforts won’t have been helped by Berge missing four months of the campaign with a leg injury.
Back in the Championship, they reached the Play-Off Semi-Finals in 2021/22, before banking an emphatic 91 points the following season to secure automatic promotion – a campaign which also saw them compete in an FA Cup Semi-Final – with Berge integral to their success.
Burnley were champions that summer, and having seen Berge’s qualities up close decided to bring him to Turf Moor, ending a productive spell in Sheffield which yielded 15 goals and 12 assists in 109 outings.
Though only with the Clarets for one year, Berge was a near ever present in the Premier League last term, featuring in 37 of their 38 fixtures, duly winning the club’s Player of the Season, and Players’ Player of the Season awards.
Source: Fulham FC
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