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Liverpool against Aston Villa connected 18 January 2014. It was intolerable to measurement nan excitement successful an eight-year-old from Norway making his first visit to Anfield. Inside was nan committedness of watching his favourite player, Daniel Sturridge, and nan remainder of a freewheeling broadside throwing everything astatine a title push. But arsenic Sindre Walle Egeli and his family reached nan turnstiles, nan cruelest of realities dawned.
“It’s not a bully memory,” Walle Egeli says. “We showed up, fresh to go, and it turned retired we’d sewage clone tickets. I don’t cognize what happened, possibly my parents bought from immoderate shady people. It was heartbreaking.”
English shot has dealt him a kinder manus now. The 19-year-old is sitting successful a makeshift gathering room astatine Ipswich Town’s training ground; extracurricular loom nan girders of a caller analyzable that will toggle shape their guidelines adjacent season. His move from Nordsjælland successful August, nan first £17.5m interest a Championship record, was a connection of ambition from some parties. It was nan pathway to Premier League shot Walle Egeli had craved; Ipswich, contempt stern competition, had landed 1 of nan astir sought-after prospects successful Europe.
“I had a batch of different options but this is simply a typical club,” he says. “I knew it was nan toughest prime I could make – it’s astir apt nan toughest convention successful nan world physically – but I wanted nan challenge. I cognize I’m going to create a batch here.”
Why nan eye-watering outlay for a subordinate pinch 43 appearances successful Denmark and a fistful of outings successful Norway’s 4th division? One reply is readily astatine hand. Walle Egeli has conscionable returned from scoring nan victor for Norway under-21s successful Bosnia and Herzegovina – “a scrappy one, not my favourite” – and putting different notch successful nan grounds books.
Nobody, not moreover Erling Haaland, has scored arsenic galore goals for nan country’s age-group sides. Walle Egel scored a six-minute hat-trick for nan under-17s and made his elder debut against Kazakhstan past September astatine a younger property than Haaland achieved. His grounds is phenomenal and, taken connected its own, breeds evident comparisons.
“That’s easy erstwhile you’re scoring,” he says. “But I’m not moreover adjacent to being nan aforesaid subordinate arsenic him. Of people it’s bully to perceive because he’s nan champion subordinate successful nan world now, but I wouldn’t comparison us. I don’t mind it but I’d ne'er think: ‘OK, I’m amended than Haaland.’ He’s a apical finisher and there’s a batch I tin study done him.”
Besides, Walle Egeli has ne'er been a axenic centre-forward. Most of his contributions person travel from a starting position connected nan right. A wand-like near foot, honed during a happy puerility 80 miles southbound of Oslo successful Larvik, has been mostly responsible. “It’s travel people but besides pinch a batch of practice,” he says. “My first shot memories are of me, my relative and dada going to nan nearest transportation and conscionable shooting pinch my near foot.”
Their father, who passed down nan Liverpool obsession, had played successful Norway’s little divisions for Fram Larvik. His brother, Vetle, is 2 years older and thriving pinch nan adjacent top-flight nine Sandefjord. The brace played together for nan under-21s past week, against Israel.
“He’s a near back, besides a bully near foot, truthful location were a batch of battles betwixt us,” he says. “But we cognize each other’s movements and I cognize which passes he’s bully at.” Any goalscoring combinations successful nan under-21 team? “Should person been! He gave maine a clear unfastened extremity against Wales and I missed it. He’s very huffy astatine me.”
Walle Egeli played successful Vetle’s property group from nan start, learning method had to beryllium king against bigger, older boys. He has go a six-footer pinch laudable aptitude for nan Championship’s endless duels. But size was little adjuvant erstwhile a close-knit, “quite special”, group came done astatine nan section nine Nanset.
They raced to motion up erstwhile Liverpool’s world academy gave a training campy successful Larvik. “I spent 3 days trying to replicate Sturridge’s ‘trivela’ against Sevilla,” he says, laughing. “I was truthful happy erstwhile I yet sewage it.” It was his first clip exposed to English extracurricular an world environment. His mother, a coach astatine his school, helped make judge he stayed focused distant from football.
Nowadays he is fluent, talking pinch self-belief that ne'er skirts arrogance. It was important to enactment grounded moreover when, having joined Sandefjord’s academy astatine 13, he recovered himself outshining players astatine slightest 3 years his senior. He had precocious turned 15 erstwhile a elder debut beckoned. Playing for Sandefjord reserves against an older Teie team, Walle Egeli scored each of nan game’s 5 goals.
“The past 1 was best. I sewage nan shot from my friend Sebastian Mathisen, trim wrong and past … apical corner. I still retrieve it really well. It was astir apt a small spot embarrassing for them. It’s not for illustration you could return nan shot and conscionable dribble past everyone, but I wouldn’t opportunity nan level was that good.”
Still, it hardly occurs each day. Walle Egeli continued scoring prolifically until being stopped successful his tracks. He felt formed speech during his last six months Sandefjord, having decided he would time off upon turning 16.
“Once they recovered retired I wasn’t signing nan statement there, they wholly froze maine out,” he says. Samir Saric, a coach whose power he cherishes, took pains to support him engaged. “Samir was awesome pinch me. I wasn’t fixed a GPS vest for illustration nan different guys, things for illustration that, but he ever supported me. We’d enactment aft training, moreover aft games wherever I played zero minutes, and activity connected finishing.”
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He wants to make clear location is nary sick emotion towards Sandefjord, a nine for which he retains heavy affection. It conscionable seemed harsh curen for a 15-year-old trying to find his way. “It shocked maine and my family, to beryllium honest,” he says. “It was 1 of nan hardest points of my profession and I person immoderate regrets from that time, not moreover being capable to play football. But I person a batch of bully relationships location and I’m really happy they’re doing good now.”
Nordsjælland hit PSV, FC Copenhagen and others to his signature. Their academy has a breathtaking deed complaint and is feted for its pastoral care. “There’s nary amended spot for a young player,” he says. “They really took attraction of me, made judge I had things to do successful my spare time, gave maine food, everything. They made it a batch easier. It would person been much difficult if I had gone anyplace else.”
When he burst into action past season, his first afloat run successful Denmark’s Superliga, different move was inevitable. Nine goals and 8 assists were a patient return from a twelvemonth successful which he felt his playmaking expertise footwear on; 2 of each followed early successful 2025-26 earlier Ipswich, who big Wrexham connected Saturday, followed up their longstanding interest. He is yet to people but location is nary panic. Walle Egeli likes nan way, since joining Kieran McKenna’s revamped team, he has learned to return greater joyousness successful teammates’ successes. Like a broadside softly opening to warrant their position arsenic promotion favourites, he is visibly increasing pinch each game.
“It’s going successful nan correct direction,” he says. “People tin look astatine nan extremity tally and opportunity it hasn’t gone that well, but those who really watch nan games would opportunity I’m successful a very bully spot now. I’m judge we’re going to beryllium very successful. We person truthful overmuch talent, truthful galore bully players, it’s crazy. Now we’ve had 2 months together to get to cognize each other. It tin beryllium difficult successful nan opening but I consciousness for illustration we’re starting to really get into nan flow.”
Family ne'er look excessively acold away: he loves taking feedback from his grandfather, who watches his games connected repetition earlier calling pinch advice. It helps, though, that different personnel of Norway’s seemingly endless accumulation statement is besides taking nan Championship’s difficult knocks. Walle Egeli and Sverre Nypan, who is connected indebtedness astatine Middlesbrough from Manchester City, person played for nan nationalist younker teams since under-15 level.
“He’s 1 of my amended friends,” he says. “It’s very bully to person a mate you tin talk to. We stock nan aforesaid thoughts astir nan Championship, its strength and really reliable it is. We talk earlier and aft our games.” They besides compete regularly connected PlayStation games specified arsenic EAFC and Fortnite.
Both person 1 elder cap. Walle Egeli talks thoughtfully astir nan deficiency of existent domiciled models successful Norway’s nationalist squad while he was increasing up, prevention possibly for Joshua King, and really nan past decade’s finance successful coaches and accommodation is base spectacular fruit. There is still clip to subordinate Ståle Solbakken’s free-scoring squad adjacent summer.
“I retrieve 10 years agone saying I want to play successful nan 2026 World Cup,” he says. “Now I deliberation I’m rather close. If I play good and do bully things here, there’s a bully chance.” A reunion pinch Haaland, who offered adjuvant tips during that call-up successful 2024, would beryllium welcome.
Everything, from his earthy talent to nan master tutelage of McKenna, is successful spot for a happy resolution. Walle Egeli’s acquisition astatine Anfield had 1 of those. His grandparents, saddened astatine nan show of their loved ones returning truthful disconsolately, arranged tickets to nan pursuing month’s crippled pinch Swansea. This clip it was for real. Liverpool won 4-3 and, to apical it, Sturridge scored twice.
So what astir a cleanable hat-trick: promotion pinch Ipswich, a World Cup pinch Norway and a Premier League opener astatine nan stadium that erstwhile thrilled him? “Three successful a row, let’s spell for it,” he says. “I deliberation they’re successful reach.”
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