Football Season Guide

Lillestrøm finished last season with a massive success when they topped Sarpsborg to lift the Norwegian Cup, therefore earning a race piece of silverware and booking a spot in Europe. It put a gloss on a fairly average and at times poor league campaign as the Yellow and Blacks looked behind their shoulders in the relegation battle for most of the time. Yet they have been able to utilise their strengths in a limited squad and experienced manager Arne Erlandsen has set up the team in a manner which brings decent results. Lillestrøm have had a good close season as they signed some promising players and have kept the nucleus of their squad intact. The only regular starter that they lost is Shikoze Udozji but the veteran forward was hardly integral anyway and in Thomas Lenhe Olsen, they have brought in a fairly good replacement at a much better age. Gary Martin is another addition to the forward line as the Englishman looks to recreate the impact he had during a six-month spell with the club back in 2016. Kristoffer Ödemarksbakken is easily the most intriguing new signing as he is a well-regarded midfielder from the second division, who looks like a real prospect. He will certainly need some patience and time to get into speed but may well prove a real coup. Matvei Igonen is set to be the new number one keeper as veteran Arnold Origi has departed, and it will be interesting to see whether he brings reliability at the young age of 21. Yet their best bit of business is keeping Erling Knudtzon, after the striker was subject of interest from Rosenborg and Molde. Overall, the team has a fresher and more promising look and could be set for a pretty strong campaign. The team has looked quite solid in pre-season, with a single loss in six games.