Sakarias Opsahl has signed the contract that binds him to Bergensklubben until 2028.
– It feels absolutely amazing. It’s a beautiful city, a great club and a great stadium, says Sakarias Opsahl to brann.no.
After the clubs reached an agreement on Monday, the 24-year-old flew from Tromsø to Bergen that evening, and completed the medical on Tuesday.
Opsahl signed for Brann ut 2028.
Photo: Brann sports club
On the same day, he already took part in his first Brann training session.
– It was very fun to start, almost straight from the airport to the training, says Opsahl to the NRK.
TO: Based on performance
Opsahl was one of the central pieces of the TIL team that managed to finish third in the Eliteserien last year, just behind Brann.
– That’s how football is. Some players come and some go, says the head coach in Tromsø, Jørgen Vik to NRK.
– What made Opsahl go from being a central player to bench work?
– It depends on the performances made and the individual players who rose and performed in that position. And the performances were decisive in terms of playing time, says the head coach.
Jørgen Vik is happy with his own squad.
Photo: Erik Waagbø / NRK
– How do you rate the squad now?
– I am happy with the squad, and I would like to have added one or two players now that we are losing Opsahl, Vik concludes.
TIL captain Ruben Yttergård Jenssen’s own past in Brann.
– He was a great TIL player, and it was fun to play with him. He is coming to a great club and I think he will do well there.
He says the players are used to rumors and transfers, and have a lot of faith in their own squad.
– We have a lot of potential in the squad, and many exciting young players who I am sure will improve in the future, says Yttergård Jensen.
TIL captain Ruben Yttergård Jenssen has great faith in his own squad.
Photo: Torkil Stoltz / NRK
– Trying to get ahead
The player arrived in Tromsø in 2021, having been on loan at the club the previous year.
TIL sporting director Lars Petter Kræmer-Andressen thanks Sakarias Opsahl for his efforts in Tromsø, but says at the same time that Opsahl was clear that he wanted to leave.
– It’s a case that was waiting for a while, and then it quickly came to an end. The sale of Opsahl has been worked out, and he wanted to move on in this transfer window. He was clear about that. He’s had some great years here in Tromsø, he’s an important piece for us and he’s a TIL hero. But he also felt that now is the right time to move on. Now he has moved on, and that’s how it is, says the sports manager to NRK.
Midfielder Opsahl has long been linked with Brann as a replacement for Aberdeen-bound Heltne Nilsen.
Photo: Rune Stoltz Bertinussen / NTB
Opsahl himself summarizes his time in Tromsø as very nice.
– The supporters there and the city gave me a warm welcome, it was a very nice time.
– How do you summarize this year’s season in TIL for you?
– So there, but now I’m on fire and focusing on it, says Opsahl.
Sakarias Opsahl went almost straight to the training ground after landing in Bergen.
Photo: Agnieszka Iwanska / NRK
– Must be myself
Brann sold their captain and midfield general Sivert Heltne Nilsen to Scotland this summer.
– He is a big player in the history of Brann, I will be myself and I will do well what I can do well, says Opsahl about replacing the former captain.
Brann is happy to have a new midfielder in his place.
– Sakarias is an exciting player with good skills. He can play the deep role in midfield and as an inside runner. We hope he will develop further with us here at Brann, and we look forward to following his further development, says Brann’s sporting manager, Per-Ove Ludvigsen.
Opsahl is Brann’s first signing of the summer transfer window, and he will be able to start as soon as Saturday when Brann meet Sarpsborg away in the Eliteserien.
Published
16.07.2024, kl. 11.03
Updated
16.07.2024, kl. 14.11