Håvard Nordtveit
Håvard Nordtveit is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a defender or defensive midfielder.
Club career
Norway
Nordtveit began his career as a youth in Norway with Vats 94 and Skjold IL before joining Haugesund. It was announced on 29 June 2006 that he signed his first professional contract with the club, keeping him until 2009. As Nordtveit made a transfer move, both Vats 94 and Skjold received an entitlement share of the money.By August 2006, Nordtveit was called up to the first team for the first time. On 20 August 2006, Nordtveit became the youngest player ever to play for Haugesund, as he was selected for the starting line-up in a 2–0 victory against Sogndal at Haugesund Stadium. This turns out to be his only appearance of the 2006 season.
Nordtveit made nine league appearances during the following season for Haugesund in the Norwegian First Division. That season he also appeared in the Norwegian Football Cup, being in the starting line up in the 1–6 victory against Djerv 1919, and coming on in the 33rd minute in a 4–0 victory over Løv-Ham scoring one goal. Haugesund went all the way to the final.
Arsenal
travelled to Norway on 11 June 2007 to watch an Adeccoligaen match and begin negotiations to sign Nordtveit. The members of the FKH board stated that the club had rejected Arsenal's initial bid. The player himself said that his club was asking for a "supernaturally high" transfer fee. The price being quoted in the Norwegian media was 20 million Norwegian kroner. A transfer fee was later finalized on 3 July 2007 for £500,000 initially, rising to £2m after 40 first team appearances. Upon joining the club, Haugesund captain Kevin Nicol and former Norway coach Nils Johan Semb went on to praise him as the brightest defensive talent in Europe.Nordtveit made his Arsenal debut in their first pre-season friendly against Barnet on 14 July 2007, coming on after half-time, replacing Kerrea Gilbert, as they won 2–0. He was named captain of Arsenal's reserve squad for the first match of the 2007–08 FA Premier Reserve League season. In an interview with Arsenal.com, Nordtveit said he was "honoured" to have been named captain, and that he hoped to continue in that role in the future. However, he was plagued with injuries for most of the season. In the final game of the 2007–08 season, Nordtveit was named on the substitutes' bench in Arsenal's 1–0 win over Sunderland.
On 21 January 2009, Nordtveit finally made his first appearance for the reserves since spending time on-loan at UD Salamanca, in a 2–2 draw against the Stoke City reserves. Following his loan spell at 1. FC Nürnberg came to an end, Nordtveit returned to Arsenal and said in an interview on transition from playing in the right back position to a centre back. It was reported on 22 July 2010 that he signed a contract with the club, keeping him until 2013. However, Nordtveit continued to spend the rest of the first half of the 2010–11 season, playing for the reserve side.
Loan Spells from Arsenal
On 18 August 2008, Salamanca of the Segunda División signed him on a six-month loan. Upon joining the club, he played alongside another young Arsenal player, Pedro Botelho. Nordtveit came off the bench to make his debut for UD Salamanca as they drew 1–1 with Sevilla Atlético in the second fixture of the season. He then made his first start for the side, starting the whole game against Girona on 21 September 2008, as the club won 1–0. Arsenal recalled him on 29 October, after becoming unhappy with the amount of playing time the Norwegian had received. However, he was not eligible to play for the club until 1 January 2009.On 10 March 2009, Norwegian top division outfit Lillestrøm signed Nordtveit on loan until 1 August 2009. He made his debut in the Tippeligaen in Lillestrøm's season opener away against Stabæk as a right fullback. This was a role which Nordtveit retained during his time with the Norwegian side, having become a first team regular. Despite missing two matches, he went on to make seventeen appearances for Lillestrøm in all competitions.
On 28 July 2009, 1. FC Nürnberg agreed a one-year loan deal for the Norwegian defender from Arsenal for the rest of the 2009–10 season. He made his Nürnberg's debut, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–0 loss against Hannover 96 in the opening game of the season. Nordtveit made his first start for the side, starting in the defensive midfield position and playing the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against VfB Stuttgart on 29 August 2009. After the match, his performance was praised by Bild and Nürnberger Nachrichter. Despite being a centre-back, Nordtveit's primary role at Nürnberg was in the defensive midfield position. This lasted until he suffered injuries for the next three months for the side. Although Nordtveit made three more starts for the side since returning to the starting line–up in March, he appeared as an unused substitute in both legs of the Relegation play-offs, as Nürnberg won 3 – 0 on aggregate. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Nordtveit made twenty appearances in all competitions. Following this, he returned to his parent club.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
On 30 December 2010, Nordtveit joined Borussia Mönchengladbach on a three-and-a-half-year contract, the transfer fee was £800,000. Upon leaving Arsenal, Manager Arsène Wenger said he needed to leave to get first team football, while also praising his talent.Nordtveit made his competitive debut for the club on 15 January 2011 in their Bundesliga match against Nürnberg, a club Nordtveit played last season. Since making his debut for Borussia Mönchengladbach, he was used mostly as a defensive midfielder, and established himself as a key player for Gladbach, taking the departed Michael Bradley's place in the squad. Nordtveit also played once in right–back and centre–back position along the way. He then scored his first goal in Germany, against 1. FC Köln in a 5–1 victory for Borussia Mönchengladbach on 10 April 2011. He later played in both legs of the Relegation play-offs, as Borussia Mönchengladbach won 2–1 on aggregate and retained its Fußball-Bundesliga spot for the 2011–12 season. Despite being sidelined on two occasions, he finished the 2010–11 season, making eighteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2011–12 season, Nordtveit continued to regain his first team place, playing in the defensive midfield position. Nordtveit played a role in the second round of the DFB–Pokal against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 when he successfully converted the club's third penalty in the shoot–out, winning 4–2 to advance to the next stage. Nordtveit appeared in every match since the start of the 2011–12 season until he suffered a bruise ankle injury that saw him miss one match. Nordtveit started in the semi–finals of DFB-Pokal against Bayern Munich, where he missed the decisive penalty shot in the shoot–out that saw Borussia Mönchengladbach eliminated from the tournament. After serving a one match suspension, Nordtveit scored on his return, in a 2–1 loss against Hannover 96 on 1 April 2012. However, during a match against FC Augsburg on 28 April 2012, he suffered a shoulder injury, resulting in his substitution in the 40th minute and missed the rest of the 2011–12 season. Despite this, Nordtveit started the season well by helping the club go on a winning start for the side and even at one point, reached the top of the table; eventually, the club went on to finish fourth place in the league to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Having mostly in the defensive midfield position throughout the 2011–12 season, he once played in the centre–back position, coming against VfL Wolfsburg on 19 August 2011. Nordtveit went on to make thirty–six appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2012–13 season, Nordtveit recovered from a shoulder injury and continued to regain his first team place, playing in the defensive midfield position. Nordtveit started the season well when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Alemannia Aachen in the first round of the DFB–Pokal. Nordtveit then played in both legs of the UEFA Champions League Play–Off Round against Dynamo Kyiv, as Borussia Mönchengladbach lost 4–3 on aggregate and was sent to the UEFA Europa League. His performance against Wolfsburg on 28 November 2012 earn praise from Manager Lucien Favre following his role in setting up the club's first goal of the game and for his "authentic" and "beautiful" performance. After helping the club qualify for the UEFA Europa League knockout stage, he signed a contract extension with Borussia Mönchengladbach, keeping him until 2016. However following a 2–1 win against Fortuna Düsseldorf on 26 January 2013, Nordtveit suffered a knee injury that kept him out for one match. But he made his return to the starting line–up against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 9 February 2013, setting up the club's first goal of the game, in a 3–3 draw. Despite being sidelined on two occasions, Nordtveit returned to the starting line–up and scored in the last game of the season, losing 4–3 against Bayern Munich. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he went on to make forty–two appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2013–14 season, Nordtveit found himself behind the pecking order and was placed on the substitute bench. He then played a role, setting up two goals in two matches between 27 September 2013 and 5 October 2013 against Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund. However, Nordtveit suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for two months. It wasn't until on 1 December 2013 when he returned to the first team, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 win against SC Freiburg. Having initially placed on the substitute bench, Nordtveit later regained his first team place, playing in the defensive midfield position for the rest of the season. In a match against Borussia Dortmund, he was sent–off a second bookable offence, in a 2–1 win on 8 March 2014. After serving a one match suspension, Nordtveit returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt on 15 March 2014. It wasn't until on 19 April 2014, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 4–2 loss. He later helped the club finish sixth place, thereby qualifying for the UEFA Europa League next season.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Nordtveit played in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Play–Off Round against FK Sarajevo, winning 3–2 as Borussia Mönchengladbach went on to win 10–2 on aggregate to advance to the group stage. However, he found himself in and out of the first team, which saw him placed on the substitute bench. It wasn't until on 2 October 2014 when Nordtveit scored his first European goal, in a 1–1 draw against FC Zürich. A month later on 22 November 2014, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt. Nordtveit then helped the club qualify for the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League after going on five matches without a loss. He then scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against Borussia Dortmund on 11 April 2015. However, in the last game of the season against FC Augsburg, Nordtveit was sent–off in the 61st minute for a professional foul, as Borussia Mönchengladbach lost 3–1 and went on to finish third place, thereby qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Despite this, he made thirty appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
Having served the first two leagues matches of the 2015–16 season, Nordtveit made his first appearance of the season, starting the match and played 68 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–1 loss against Werder Bremen on 30 August 2015. He then made his UEFA Champions League, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 loss against Sevilla on 15 September 2015. Nordtveit scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Wolfsburg on 3 October 2015. His second goal of the season came on 31 October 2015, in a 4–1 win against Hertha BSC. Having initially started in the defensive midfield position, Nordtveit began to play in the right–back position. He then scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–2 win against SV Darmstadt 98 on 20 December 2015. Following the absence of Granit Xhaka, Nordtveit captained the side in the next three matches and even scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 5–1 win against Werder Bremen on 5 February 2016. Having played once in the centre–back position earlier in the season, he reverted to the position for the rest of the season. Nordtveit later helped the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season by finishing fourth place in the league. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he went on to make thirty–nine appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.