Is Sander Berge a shrewd move or a downgrade for Fulham?

Jack Stroudley looks at our potential newest recruit and how he’d fit into Marco Silva’s side.

After weeks of sitting, wishing and waiting for a midfielder to come in out of nowhere it seems that Sander Berge is our man. Reports from Peter Rutzler and others suggest the deal will cost £20m with £5m in add-ons with Berge expected to travel to London for a medical. Since losing Joao Palhinha, a few names have been touted with the likes of Andre and Scott McTominay being at the forefront of the rumours, but how does the Burnley man compare? Is he an adequate replacement for Palhinha?

Sander’s stats

When Sander Berge arrived at Sheffield United in 2020 there was a fair amount of hype around him and following the Blades first season in the Premier League which consequently ended in a ninth-placed finish, Berge was at the forefront of all positive things when he joined from January. Logging 2.1 tackles per 90 (top 41% of midfielders) alongside 4.96 progressive passes (top 44%) meant that Berge was a steady midfielder who acclimatised well to a new league all while playing for an overachieving side during an interrupted COVID season.

His and Sheffield United’s second season in the Premier League brought some harsh realities with the Blades really struggling. His tackling numbers dropped to 1.29 and progressive passes to 3.13 (an expected drop off when going from ninth to 2oth). The now 26-year-old was still a stand out for a poor side with many touting him to move on.

That never materialised until last summer when he moved to newly-promoted Burnley. We know what happened to Burnley last season, but Berge was once again a statistical success. An 88.2% pass accuracy meant he was steady on the ball and his defensive stats were also impressive being in the top 20% for tackles as well as clearances and aerials won. He also impressed at Craven Cottage during their 2-0 win in December.

How does he compare?

So, he’s looked good in sides that have struggled, but how does he compare to the likes of Scott McTominay and Joao Palhinha?

First thing’s first; Joao is obviously miles clear of both McTominay and Berge, and replacing him like for like is borderline impossible. Going off this and how we’ve played in pre-season and against Manchester United, I wonder if Marco Silva is looking to change tactically this season? Both Berge and McTominay are much more progressive players who like to carry the ball forward and create chances.

Looking at the graph above it’s abundantly clear that Berge outperformed McTominay in every metric last season (no surprise why Manchester United were sniffing around the Norwegian) and while he may not be the most eye-catching name, it could be a shrewd piece of business.

The final verdict

To summarise, is Sander Berge a downgrade on Joao Palhinha? While the answer is obviously yes it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a downgrade for Fulham. If we are to only sign one midfielder this window (and it ends up being Berge) we’re surely looking to play with two ‘eights’ and I think that Berge and Sasa Lukic would be a steady partnership. He’s able to carry the ball forward well while also picking up the defensive burden.

At 26 he’s still got scope to grow and develop and if there’s one thing we know about Marco Silva is he loves to get the best out of players who have had a tricky spell. £20m is a fair price for him and honestly I think it’s more than okay as a piece of business.