Would Sander Berge be a good January acquisition for West Ham?

Since West Ham missed out on the highly-rated William Carvalho, they have been crying out for a young central midfielder who can take them to the next level.

Declan Rice has recently acted as a smokescreen for this problem but clearly needs a long-term partner, could Sander Berge be this man? Late December and early January have seen a number of reports suggesting that West Ham is drawing in on the signing of the highly-rated 21-year-old Norwegian center midfielder, Sander Berge.

Berge currently plays for Genk in the Belgian league and has impressed the likes of Napoli and Liverpool in recent times. The Norwegian powerhouse is predominantly defensively minded and is a large presence in the center of the park at 6’5.

However, he is already an elite dribbler despite this and he seemingly glides past opponents maneuvering his team up the field. Berge also loves a pass and often looks forward, finding teammates in the final third effortlessly. Busquets esque in his predominant characteristics you might say.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 05: Sander Berge of KRC Genk challenges for the ball with Naby Keita of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League group E match between Liverpool FC and KRC Genk at Anfield on November 05, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

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Whilst you might argue that Berge is unnecessary next to Rice as the two players are quite defensive, Rice offers little going forward due to his lack of dribbles as a result of his constricted role. The two could provide support for each other and Berge could focus on bringing the ball forward whilst Rice sits back.

Rice has improved his passing in the last year, and pairing him with Berge could create a valuable delivery service for the likes of Felipe Anderson, Sebastien Haller, and Michail Antonio. Berge is priced at £19.8 million by Transfermarkt and since David Moyes has identified Centre Midfield as a crucial position to strengthen.

West Ham will have some money to spend, Berge is certainly a savvy and realistic purchase. It has also been reported that Gold and Sullivan have worked with Berge’s agents, Keypass AS, before which could lead to swifter negotiations.

It is certainly a positive that West Ham has named a key midfield target this early into the window as we have seen in previous windows with the likes of Leander Dendonker where the club have run out of negotiation time due to a lack of urgency in early January. On the whole, the signing of Sander Berge would be an excellent piece of business for the Hammers as he is still only 21 and has a very high ceiling.

Despite his age, he could easily slot in next to Declan Rice and improve the midfield and has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League as he is very physically strong. It would be a fantastic signing and West Ham should look to complete it as soon as possible.