Jose Mourinho’s changing view of Liverpool-linked World Cup winger Andreas Schjelderup
Liverpool could return to a player who once turned them down
Andreas Schjelderup’s case is a reminder that a transfer story can change as quickly as a player does. Liverpool are reportedly tracking the Benfica winger after his performances for Norway at the World Cup, and Jose Mourinho’s assessment of him has shifted sharply over the course of the season.
Andreas Schjelderup is linked with Liverpool again.
According to Tutto Mercato, Liverpool are among several European clubs monitoring Schjelderup. Tottenham, Atlético Madrid, AC Milan and Como are also said to be interested. That’s a crowded field, and the report doesn’t make clear whether any club has moved beyond watching him.
The Liverpool connection goes back further. Schjelderup has said he rejected a move to Anfield in 2020. Years later, he’s a more established player: Liverpool are again linked with him, while Norway’s World Cup performances have brought fresh attention. Mourinho, now at Real Madrid, has also gone from critic to advocate.
Mourinho’s verdict changed with the season
Early in his Benfica tenure, Mourinho questioned whether Schjelderup could meet the physical and tactical demands of the role. “Schjelderup is Schjelderup - he struggles for 90 minutes, he struggles with intensity and the sacrifice of transitions,” he said.
Schjelderup’s playing time increased around the turn of the year. He made 20 starts in 34 Liga Portugal matches, scoring seven goals and providing six assists, and finished the campaign with 43 appearances in all competitions. Those numbers show a growing role, though they don’t tell us on their own how consistently he performed.
By the final match of the Portuguese season, against Estoril in May, Mourinho was describing a different player. He said he had told Schjelderup he had “a lot of reasons to be very proud of himself.” Then came the broader endorsement: “Comparing the Schjelderup of months ago with the Schjelderup of today is impossible. There’s no point of comparison, the only thing that’s the same is that boyish face.”
“Neither from a physical point of view, nor from a tactical point of view, nor from a mental point of view, there’s nothing comparable,” Mourinho added. “I’d say that this kid, if he continues to develop in this way, will surely be a real talent and I’d say a great, great, great talent.”
That praise is striking because it addresses the very weaknesses Mourinho had identified earlier. For Liverpool, the question is whether Schjelderup’s progress is enough to justify revisiting a player who once chose another path. The interest is reported; the reasons behind it, and any concrete transfer plans, remain unclear.
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Schjelderup chose development over Liverpool’s name
At 16, Andreas Schjelderup turned down Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Juventus to join FC Nordsjaelland in July 2020. He’d even spent time on trial at Bayern and Juventus. The decision still stung: he said the interest from Liverpool made his “head start to spin,” and that he and his father felt the disappointment. Follow the Liverpool Echo’s dedicated Liverpool FC Facebook page for the latest news and analysis from Anfield.