Who is Erik Botheim? The Bodo/Glimt striker wanted by Mourinho's Roma

Cameron Smith

9 Nov 2021 17:17 GMT
3 min read

Erik Botheim, the Bodo/Glimt striker wanted by Roma — © ProShots

Bodo/Glimt's shock 6-1 win over Roma caused a divide in the Italian's dressing room, but it also provided a platform for Erik Botheim to show what he's all about.

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A brace in that game put Botheim on the footballing map, and despite playing for a team that most had never heard of before their monumental win in the Europa Conference League, he is now on the radar of some big clubs, namely the side he humiliated - Roma.

But, with Jose Mourinho's side sniffing around, who exactly is Botheim, and what type of player is he?

What position does Erik Botheim play?

Botheim plays as a central striker, and solely operates through the middle.

How good is Erik Botheim?

Playing in the Norwegian league, it's hard to get a grasp of just how good Botheim is, but his form in the Europa Conference League, specifically against Roma is encouraging.

He's bagged three goals and four assists in four Europa Conference League games, and looks too good for that level. He tore Roma to shreds with some excellent movement and finishing, and he also scored once in Champions League qualifying, and scored two and assisted two in Europa Conference League qualifying at the start of this season.

He was released by Rosenberg in 2020, but found first-team football, and regular minutes, at Bodo/Glimt.

Botheim may have failed to score in the 2020 Eliteserien season, but he's found his feet this year, although his numbers still aren't ground-breaking, despite being set to hit 20 goals in all competitions for the calendar year.

Botheim is clearly a talented player, but while Bodo/Glimt beat Roma, he certainly needs a little more to develop before moving to a big club in a top five European league.

What clubs are interested in Erik Botheim?

At the moment, Roma and Lazio. Roma seem to be the frontrunners, with Mourinho keen to sign the man who helped Bodo/Glimt triumph against his side.

According to TV2, Roma have made contact with Bodo/Glimt over a potential transfer, although nothing concrete is confirmed yet.

Håvard Sakariassen, who is in charge of player logistics at Bodo/Glimt said this of Botheim: "When it comes to player logistics, whether it's true or not, unfortunately we have no comment on such things. There are too many oddities and rumors, so we stick to that policy," and hasn't confirmed or denied Roma's interest.

However, with Tammy Abraham up front, a move still seems slightly unlikely.