Andreas Schjelderup: World Cup Performance Sparks Interest from Spurs and Liverpool
The moment Andreas Schjelderup stepped off the bench against Brazil, his summer changed.
Until Sunday, the Benfica winger sat on the fringes of this World Cup, a promising 22-year-old with a solid season in Portugal and a small but growing reputation. Ninety spellbinding minutes later, he looks like one of the most intriguing attacking options on the market – and clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are circling.
A Cameo That Shook Brazil
Norway were drifting. Brazil had the ball, the noise, the pedigree. Stale Solbakken needed something different, so he turned to Schjelderup at half-time.
The effect was immediate.
Where Antonio Nusa had flickered without quite catching fire, Schjelderup arrived with purpose. He drove at defenders, demanded the ball, and, crucially, found Erling Haaland when it mattered most.
His numbers from that second half tell the story of a player completely in tune with the rhythm of a high-stakes knockout tie: 25 completed passes from 27 attempts, a successful dribble, five ball recoveries, a tackle, an interception. Always on the move, always forward-thinking.
He almost opened the scoring himself, forcing Alisson into a sharp save with a quick, instinctive snapshot. It felt like a warning.
Moments later, he delivered. Bursting past his marker down the left, Schjelderup shaped his body and hung a looping, wickedly judged cross into the box. Haaland attacked it like Haaland does. Header. Goal. Norway in front. Brazil stunned.
The second assist was simpler but no less significant. A short, clean pass into Haaland’s path, 23 yards from goal. One touch, one ruthless finish into the bottom corner. A basic ball, but the right ball, at the right time. That kind of efficiency gets noticed.
Neymar’s late consolation couldn’t change the narrative. This was Schjelderup’s night as much as Haaland’s. A World Cup last-16 tie, flipped by a winger who had started the tournament on the periphery.
From Benfica Bench to Premier League Radar
This did not come out of nowhere. Schjelderup has been building towards a moment like this.
He arrived at Benfica with expectation but spent much of the first half of last season watching from the bench. When his chance finally came, he seized it. The left-sided winger forced his way into the starting XI and finished the Liga Portugal campaign with six goals and four assists in his final 14 games.
Back in January, he sent an early warning shot to Europe’s elite by scoring twice against Real Madrid. That performance first drew serious attention. The World Cup has now amplified it.
Schjelderup has started only one game at this tournament so far, yet even in Norway’s 4-1 defeat to France he emerged as one of their brighter performers and laid on another assist. The pattern is clear: when he plays, things happen.
With two years left on his Benfica contract, this summer offers a natural decision point for club and player. Reports suggest he could be available for around £35 million – a fee that looks increasingly modest in a market starved of young, creative wide players who can both score and supply.
He wants the Premier League. The Premier League is watching.
Tottenham’s Chance to Strike?
Tottenham, in particular, are paying attention. Ange Postecoglou’s side need fresh impetus in the final third, more unpredictability from wide areas, and a player who can both stretch the pitch and combine in tight spaces.
Schjelderup fits that profile. Quick, direct, left-sided, and comfortable carrying the ball at speed, he offers the sort of dynamism that can unpick low blocks and punish high ones. His ability to appear faster with the ball than without it is not just a compliment; it is a tactical weapon in a league built on transitions.
Liverpool have also been linked. Their recruitment team has a well-earned reputation for spotting forwards just before their value explodes. A 22-year-old World Cup standout, already proven in European competition, on a reasonable fee, ticks plenty of boxes.
Whoever moves first will not be buying a finished product. They will be betting on trajectory – and that trajectory has been steep for some time.
Essien Saw It Coming
Those who worked with Schjelderup early in his career are not surprised by his rise.
At Nordsjaelland, where his senior journey began, he shared a dressing room with Chelsea legend Michael Essien. The former midfielder has long believed the Norwegian can climb to the very top.
“Schjelde has everything to take even bigger steps,” Essien told VG. “The sky’s the limit. He can play for the biggest clubs in the world. Personally, I’d like to see him at Real Madrid or another big club.
“I watch Benfica’s games when I can. When Andreas has the ball, he almost seems faster with it than without it. There aren’t many players like that. When he accelerates, it’s very difficult to stop him.”
Those words now feel less like praise and more like a forecast.
A Market About to Move
Schjelderup’s World Cup has not been about volume. It has been about impact. Limited minutes, decisive moments. The kind of performances that tempt sporting directors to act before someone else does.
Tottenham need goals and invention. Liverpool are reshaping their attack. Benfica know the market and rarely sell cheap, but £35 million for a player with two years left, in this form, will not scare off English clubs.
One half against Brazil changed the tone of his summer. The next decision is his: stay in Lisbon and consolidate, or ride this wave straight into the Premier League spotlight.
