TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
The busy offseason for New York City FC continues with the club announcing the signing of 27-year-old Norwegian striker Jo Inge Berget, their seventh offseason addition.
A forward capable of playing centrally or on either wing, Berget has played in the top divisions of Norway, England, Scotland, and Sweden. Starting out his career at Tippeligaen side FC Lyn Oslo in his native Norway in 2008, Berget joined Udinese shortly after his debut, although he never made an appearance for the Serie A club, instead spending the next three years on loan back at Lyn and at Stromgodset.
A permanent switch to Molde followed which saw Berget make his name with 17 league goals in 63 appearances, including the opener in a title-deciding game vs. Tromso which gave Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men their first league championship. He helped Molde to retain their title in the following year before Solksjaer took Berget with him to Cardiff City in the English Premier League in 2014 but opportunities were limited for the 6-foot-1 forward in the Welsh capital.
Following a brief loan spell at Celtic, Berget reignited his career by signing for Malmo FF in January 2015 and it was there where he scored two goals vs. former side Celtic to help his team reach the UEFA Champions League group stages where they faced off against Real Madrid later that year.
Berget arrives at NYCFC as a Swedish champion, finishing the 2017 Allsvenskan season as his team’s top scorer with 10 goals as Malmo secured back-to-back league titles.“I feel delighted, I’m really looking forward to getting to New York and getting to play in MLS for one of the best teams and hopefully we’re going to win a trophy this year,” Berget told NYCFC.com.
“New York has been up there at the top, but they’ve never won, so hopefully we can make a change to that. I know about the coach and some of the players there and they like to play offensive football. I think it’s going to suit me really well.
“When New York comes in for you, it’s a big deal - it’s a nice city and it’s a good club. For me and my family, it was an easy decision in the end.”
Berget’s earned his first cap with Norway in January 2012 and he’s since gone on to earn 20 caps, scoring two goals.
“Jo is a player with good experience in Europe and he’s a player who can play in many different positions - on the wing, as a No. 9 or as a No. 10,” NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira said in a release by the club. “We’ve added another quality player with versatility, with a work ethic on the field which is something that is really important to us."
