Premier League transfers are sometimes lengthy drawn out processes within the modern-day, with hypothesis, contract negotiations and price agreements making offers unnecessarily tedious. Again within the Nineteen Nineties, although, transfers have been much more environment friendly.
Jan Age Fjortoft quickly got here to understand that reality throughout his time in England between 1993 and 1998, as he moved between Swindon , Middlesbrough , Sheffield United and Barnsley .
After scoring 12 targets for the Robins in his debut Premier League marketing campaign, robust performances within the second tier then earned Fjortoft a transfer to Middlesbrough halfway by means of the 1994/95 season. Signed by Bryan Robson , Fjortoft helped Boro achieve promotion to the Premier League , however a scarcity of proficiency in entrance of aim noticed Fabrizio Ravanelli signal in the summertime of 1996.
Premier League switch got here out of the blue for Fjortoft
Jan Age Fjortoft celebrates a aim for Middlesbrough (Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
With first group minutes restricted, Fjortoft dropped into the second tier to signal for Sheffield United midway by means of 1996/97, the place he managed 10 targets in 17 video games. 9 in 17 in the beginning of the following marketing campaign had piqued the curiosity of Premier League sides, with Barnsley the group to make the leap on the Norwegian striker.
Fjortoft did not discover out about their curiosity in standard trend, nonetheless, as he reveals being instructed within the showers after a Division One sport towards Bury .
Fjortoft taking part in for Sheffield United (Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
“After taking part in towards Bury for Sheffield United, I used to be within the bathe when the secretary got here into the dressing room,” Fjortoft completely tells FourFourTwo . “I used to be standing there with shampoo in my eyes when he shouted, ‘Jan, we’ve agreed to promote you to Barnsley’.
“I knew there was a great probability Barnsley have been going to be relegated, however I appreciated their supervisor [Danny Wilson] very a lot. It felt wonderful to be again within the Premier League.
“In Barnsley, identical to in Swindon, I discovered a city proud to be competing with the large boys.”
As Fjortoft anticipated, Barnsley have been relegated from the highest flight, the second of his profession in England , although that hasn’t stopped him from trying again with rose-tinted glasses at his 5 years on British shores.
Fjortoft loved his time in England (Picture credit score: PA)
“Enjoying within the Premier League within the Nineteen Nineties, I used to be between the outdated English soccer and the brand new English soccer,” Fjortoft provides.
“All the shirt sponsors have been breweries and they might give us a few of their ‘inventory’ on our bus journeys again from video games. There was additionally a large respect for fellow gamers. Once we misplaced 4-0 to Arsenal , Ian Wright came visiting to me and stated, ‘Jan, you’ll be OK’.”
