Both Viking and Bodø/Glimt fought their way on in the Champions League just over a week ago – at the same time as they fight a historic gold race in the Eliteserien.
It says a lot about the level of Norwegian football that two clubs fighting at the top of the table, at the same time cheer each other on in Europe. Viking and Bodø/Glimt follow each other closely in the table, and on Friday both are in action again. (Fredrikstad and Sandefjord respectively)
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Three signings on deadline day
Erik Botheim was not the only reinforcement Viking secured on the last day of the summer window. Dutch defenseman Essiën Bassey and Henrik Bjørdal were also brought in from Vålerenga.
But it was naturally Botheim who received the most attention – after TV 2 and NRK caught him as he landed in Stavanger.
To Viking’s own pages, the striker says:
“There is an incredible amount of exciting things happening in Viking, and they have had a huge development in recent years. It is an exciting project that triggers me.
Botheim’s road to Viking
Botheim has ten goals for Malmö in Allsvenskan this season, and was in his third season in Sweden.
He wreaked havoc for Bodø/Glimt before being sold to Russian Krasnodar in 2022 for over NOK 60 million. After his time in Russia, the trip moved on to Malmö – and now Viking.
Now he returns to Norwegian football – and can meet his old teammates from Bodø/Glimt in the fight for the league gold.
“A very good player in the box”
Swedish Alexander Axén, football coach and TV expert, is clear about what Viking gets:
– A very good player in the box. Someone who is loyal to the team and who seems to be nice to have in the group.
On Monday, Botheim was benched in Malmö’s match against Sirius. Coach Gaute Helstrup explained:
“Because of different things. There has been a lot of speculation around him. I won’t go into more detail than that.
Now the speculation is over – Botheim is ready for Viking and an exciting autumn with a gold medal match, Champions League and old acquaintances from Bodø.
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