Friday, July 24, 2009

Rasmus Elm: Liverpool To Battle Everton For The ‘Swedish Beckham’


Everton are believed to be leading the chase for Swedish starlet Rasmus Elm after the player recently visited Goodison Park. However Skyports.com are reporting that Liverpool and Valencia have also joined the race for the midfielder’s signature. However, other admirers include Fulham, Stoke, Ajax and PSV.

It’s of little surprise that the player has attracted so much attention after an excellent European U21 Championships as well as superb league form for his club side Kalmar.

Elm has scored an impressive 8 goals in just 15 league games this season which leaves him one strike behind the leading scorers in the Swedish top division. Despite being just 21, Elm has made a total of 92 league appearances for his club while scoring 16 goals (64 starts). The midfielder made his debut in 2005 and has gone from strength to strength since with all 16 goals coming in the last 3 seasons.

Not only has Elm impressed for the U21 side but has also broken into the full senior side with 6 caps to his name plus one goal which came in a friendly v Austria back in February. Since returning from the U21 championships, his club form has gone from strength to strength with 5 goals in his last three league appearances.

Rasmus is the youngest of three brothers who have all played for Kalmar and he played a key role in the club’s first ever league title in 2008. His two brothers also impressed with the eldest 26-year-old David weighing in with 7 goals and 23-year-old Viktor scoring 15 goals.

Rasmus can play either in central midfield or on the right. The 6ft star has neat feet, good passing ability and a strong midfield engine. He is also renowned for his set-pieces and superb long-range shooting which saw him finish joint-top in last season’s assists league alongside the legendary figure of Henrik Larsson. Another important strength of the player is his Rory Delap-like long throw which explains why he is regarded as one of Tony Pulis’ main Stoke targets.

Fulham have shown an interest since December which is unsurprising as manager Roy Hodgson is an expert in the Scandinavian market. However, Everton did appear to be favourites after the player’s visit although comments from the player suggest he has yet to make up his mind. Elm told Sportbladet, “I don’t want to rush the decision. I have had to focus fully on Champions League qualification.

“I will continue to think about it and I might make a decision in a week or so.”

The reported price tag for the player was £6m but Kalmar’s Sports Director has dismissed the figure. He said, “I don’t know where that figure has comes from.”

“We haven’t been offered such a sum. We’ve got three offers from three different clubs and rejected all of them.”

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