Has Sander Berge's move from Burnley to Fulham gone to plan so far? | OneFootball

The Norwegian made 40 appearances for the Clarets before moving to the Cottagers in the summer.

Burnley headed into the summer transfer window expecting some of their better players from their dismal Premier League campaign to leave the club.

One of those players who was linked with a move away from Turf Moor was Sander Berge. Manchester United had targeted the Norwegian during the window, as they looked to strengthen their midfield ahead of the 2024/25 season.

The 26-year-old was a shining light in an extremely disappointing showing from the Clarets in the top flight, as they were relegated at the first time of asking under the guidance of Vincent Kompany.

Berge was keen on leaving Burnley following their return to the Championship, and eventually joined Fulham for an initial £20 million, a fee that could rise up to £25 million through add-ons.

The Clarets' 2023/24 player of the year missed the first two games of the Cottagers' season, and Football League World has taken a look at how he has adjusted to playing his football in London, and whether the move has paid off.

Berge has had to be patient so far at Fulham

Although he proved in his sole year with Burnley his talent and ability to play in the Premier League, this season is the first he has had in the top flight playing for a team whose aim for the campaign is to finish in the top 10.

With those expectations comes better players than those that Berge has played with before, and he is now trying to displace Andreas Pereira and Sasa Lukic in the Fulham midfield.

He was, however, handed his first start in black-and-white on Saturday, as the Cottagers fell to a 3-2 defeat away at Manchester City. The Norway international played 65 minutes, but struggled to dictate the game in the same manner as he has done in the past.

He failed to create any chances, lost the only tackle he attempted, and was forced to sit deeper than he perhaps likes to do due to the quality of the opposition that both himself and his team were facing at the Etihad Stadium.

Nevertheless, he was not overly wasteful on the ball, completing 25 of his 29 passes, and he was not disposessed at any point in the game.

Berge will be expecting himself to improve as the season continues

It is hard to say this early on whether Berge's move has paid off due to the lack of minutes he has had on the pitch so far, but being given a first start in a game as big as the one at the weekend is a positive sign.

A good showing for Norway in the upcoming internationals will only improve his chances of starting matches from the off and give him the opportunities he needs to impress Marco Silva.

Fulham themselves have had an excellent start to the season, with their defeat to Manchester City their first since the opening day of the 2024/25 campaign.

The West Londoners have gone into the international break in eighth place with 11 points, just three behind Chelsea who sit fourth in the table.

Berge will be hoping that, after fully settling in, he can start to provide the same performances as he has done in the past with both Burnley and Sheffield United and prove to the Craven Cottage faithful why £25 million was spent on him.