RB Leipzig patched the hole that appeared due to the departure of Timo Werner to Chelsea and Patrik Schick Bayer Leverkusen by bringing in Alexander Sorloth. The 1.95 meter high striker was recruited from Crystal Palace for a transfer fee of 20 million euros.
The Norwegian striker can be valuable ammunition for Julian Nagelsmann’s squad. Apart from having a strong goal-scoring instinct, Sorloth is able to act as Leipzig’s target man. He can use his posture to hold the ball and give his teammates time to engage in play.
“We managed to recruit our number one attacking candidate in Alexander Sorloth. He’s a player with both physical and technical abilities, who is tough in the air and an accomplished goal scorer. Alexander has all the attributes you need as a footballer, ”said Leipzig Sports Director Markus Krosche.
Die Roten Bullen was attracted by the talent of Sorloth after appearing promising while on loan from Trabzonspor in 2019/20. Sorloth performed well in Turkey and became the league’s top scorer with 24 goals. He also became the most prolific player in the Turkish Cup with seven goals in seven matches.
Sorloth has the opportunity to develop his potential at the Red Bull Arena. The player who will wear the jersey number 19 admitted that he fits the attacking game played by Nagelsmann.
Leipzig also seems to want to make Sorloth a long-term solution in the attack line. The Rosenborg BK academy graduate signed a five-year contract.
Sorloth’s career history may convince Leipzig to take the risk of offering a long-term contract. Even though he is only 24 years old, the partner Erling Braut Haaland in the Norwegian national team has already tried out the top competitions in six different countries.
Alexander Sorloth’s Career Journey
Sorloth was born in Trondheim, Norway on December 5, 1995. His father, Goran Sorloth, is a professional footballer. Goran had played in the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengaldbach, which at that time was strengthened by players such as Stefan Effenberg and Oliver Bierhoff.
Alexander also followed in his father’s footsteps to become a professional footballer. Sorloth flourished at the Rosenborg academy and made his professional debut at the age of 17. In that debut party, Sorloth stole the attention by scoring after 12 minutes came on as a substitute.
However, Sorloth never got the chance to become Rosenborg’s core attacker. In 2015, Sorloth was loaned to fellow Norwegian team Bodoe / Glimt.
His career took off from here. At Bodoe / Glimt, Sorloth performed trengginas and his talent became widely recognized. He scored 13 goals and 15 assists in the 2015 Norwegian League.
Eredivisie club, FC Groningen, attracted the talent of Sorloth and signed him for a fee of 550 thousand euros in the middle of the 2015/16 season. However, his performance dropped dramatically in the Netherlands. Despite being impressive in the early parties, Sorloth was eliminated from the starting ranks.
In 2016/17, he was often dropped as a reserve. Sorloth only played 916 minutes throughout the Eredivisie that season, scoring three goals and assisting three.
Fortunately, a move to FC Midtjylland in the 2017/18 season saved Sorloth’s career. In Denmark, he was again trusted to be a core player. Sorloth scored 10 goals and eight assists in 19 matches for Midtjylland in the Danish League.
Sorloth’s contribution helped Midtjylland win the Danish League 2017/18. This title also broke the domination of FC Copenhagen which previously won two consecutive titles.
Sorloth’s brilliance led Crystal Palace to sign him in the middle of the 2017/18 season. He played four times during the remainder of the season.
However, Sorloth failed to maximize his potential at Selhurst Park. Roy Hodgson never gave him the opportunity to start in the 2018/19 Premier League. Sorloth only played 12 times in the EPL before being loaned out to KAA Gent until the end of the season.
In 2019/20, The Eagles apparently didn’t want Sorloth in the main squad. He was loaned again, this time to Trabzonspor in Turkey. It is precisely here that Sorloth is again trusted, appearing so impressive that he is attracted to Leipzig.
Sorloth helped Trabzonspor finish as runners up in the Turkish League. He scored a total of 33 goals and 11 assists in 49 matches throughout 2019/20. The nickname “King of the North” and Kans Rivalry Haaland
Previously, the Bundesliga had witnessed the abilities of Norwegian players with the arrival of Erling Braut Haaland to Borussia Dortmund. The 20-year-old striker immediately wowed the Signal Iduna Park public in 2020 by scoring 13 goals in 15 appearances. In the Bundesliga this season, Haaland continued his fine performance by scoring a brace in the first party.
Alexander Sorloth has a chance against his compatriot in the Bundesliga top scoring competition. Both have a sharp goal scoring instinct. The competition between the two Norwegian attackers is also interesting to watch. Sorloth and Haaland will compete to prove who is Norway’s greatest striker in the current generation.
On the other hand, both have a similar style of play. Both Sorloth and Haaland are equally dominant on the left. Nonetheless, both of them remained clinical with both right footed and aerial duels. Haaland himself revealed that Sorloth was a player he respected. Through Instagram, he dubbed the former Crystal Palace striker the “King of The North”.
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