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This baller looks special.

Norway’s latest generational talent is making Premier League giants swoon – & he’s only 17

Mitchell Wilks •

The winter transfer window is notorious for the ‘difficult to do business’ cliche, but when there’s a bargain to be had, suddenly every top club wants a slice of the pie.

This applies to everybody except Chelsea, who seem to complete about a thousand signings no matter the month.

In an era of extremely inflated transfer fees and difficulty in finding value for money, top clubs are desperate to be first to the game’s next generation of talent.

Young ballers and hidden gems are all the range. They’re going mainstream, to the dismay of coffee-drinking, Dr Marten-wearing, badge-collecting football fans. Sorry to burst the bubble.

Those with their ears to the ground and their trousers extra cropped might have heard of Sverre Nypan before, but for most, the name is expectedly alien.

If reports are to go by, however, that won’t be the case for long.

A 17-year-old midfielder hailing from Trondheim, Norway – a town responsible for a large handful of Olympians and fellow footballer Alexander Sorloth – Nypan became the youngest player to ever represent Rosenborg when he made his debut aged 15, back in 2022.

By 2023, he’d become the club’s youngest scorer and a year on, he’s got several Premier League giants and some of Europe’s biggest sides hot and flustered, desperate for his signature. Nypen’s rise has been quiet yet astronomical.

And for good reason; he’s an exceptional talent.

Blessed with a razor-sharp left foot and the vision to make it lethal, it’s frightening how comfortable he is receiving on the half turn or even with his back still to play in midfield, being able to shift the ball in one smooth movement and make it look like he’s in control of time.

Seriously, you’d think he was a La Masia student with the way he receives the ball. It’s Busquets-esque.

While not naturally the quickest or most skilful, watching the teenager closely will make you realise he covers for that with a reading of the game around him that most midfielders don’t develop until their late twenties. The kid has eyes in every corner of his head.

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While extremely unpolished, it’s abundantly clear that Nypen is clearly Norwegian football’s next diamond. The elements that cannot be taught are already there.

And given how comfortable he is with such complex skills despite not even being old enough to buy a pint, it’s no surprise that Manchester United are reportedly keen to strike a deal with Rosenborg before other clubs beat them to it.

We’ve not even mentioned his stats, because when the eye test shows you a player as press resistant as the 17-year-old then they’re often not needed. But for the sake of arguments, in 26 games so far in the Norwegian Eliteserien this season, Nypan has weighed in with seven goals and seven assists.

A reminder that this is a teenager who still needs to work on his decision-making and finishing in the final third. The potential is absolutely outrageous.

The kid has a long way to go and any top team he might join would require a period of adaptation, but you can see why United specifically are keen to bolster their ranks with his press resistant magic, in a bid to make their midfield more technically sound.

Wherever he might land this winter, one thing is for sure – Norway’s rough diamond is a star in the making.

By Mitch Wilks