Latest news with #Solbakken
The National
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
Norway boss hits back in row over new Rangers signing Thelo Aasgaard
The midfielder became the latest recruit by Rangers this week as Russell Martin continues to rebuild his squad at Ibrox. But Luton were unhappy because Solbakken urged Aasgaard to quit the club if they were relegated to English League One. And their subsequent drop triggered a clause in his contract which allowed Rangers to swoop. Read more: Bloomfield complained: "The desire from his international manager for him to move on certainly didn't help. "If it wasn't that situation there might have been a chance of us persuading him to stay, but when there's a pressure on him, with a World Cup looming next summer, it obviously made it tough for me when he knew he needed to move to have a chance of taking part in that World Cup. "So it's hard when you're trying to build a squad and a culture and a team, when he's being encouraged to move by his international manager, but that was the situation we were faced with. "In order to sign him in January we agreed to a conditional release clause - something that this club has only ever done in exceptional circumstances - which only got triggered in the event we played League One football this season. "This meant the move was entirely his choice and if it wasn't for his international manager's comments, that he needed to be playing at a certain level of football to go to the World Cup, we may have been able to persuade him to stay. "But the fee was met and his future success will benefit the club greatly going forward. It's also a proud moment for the football club to take a boy from League One in January and within six months, he's made his international debut, he's scored, he's got a transfer to an incredible football club who are playing in a Champions League qualifier." But that prompted Solbakken - who handed Aasgaard his first international cap against Moldova in March - to hit back at Bloomfield's comments. He pointed out: "Luton and Theo have of course known all along that this would happen with relegation and the clause in his contract." Solbakken said in the summer: "It goes without saying that it is difficult to play for the national team if you play in League One - the level is too low." The Championship is no problem, with his development that level is good enough, but with League One, that's where it stops."
The National
09-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
Norwegian boss tells ex-Celtic star to change clubs
It comes after the 27-year-old played just three times for Brentford at the centre of defence last season. Solbakken would like Ajer to turn out in his natural position more regularly, and thus thinks he should leave the Premier League outfit. Read more: The boss spoke after his side's 3-0 win over Italy last Friday evening, in which the ex-Celt completed 90 minutes at centre half. "He can be a very good and stable centre-back, and he was today, but he has to change clubs," said Solbakken [Sport Witness]. "He cannot play right-back in every third game if he is to be a proper, safe and good centre-back. Because he has all the prerequisites. "I think Ajer would have been better suited to playing centre-back in another league. He has had some tough injuries in England. "He will never be a super right-back, at the same level as he is as a centre-back. At the age he is now, I think he is allowed to put his foot down. You can't be a 'cover' right-back at his age now. "Many people get angry with me when I say things like that publicly, but I think we should be a little honest about it. Not that I'm going to interfere with Brentford selling him, but he's at an age and is a type of player who can develop into a very stable, good defender at a high level."
