Havard Nordtveit’s time at West Ham United may not be remembered fondly by fans, but his departure from the club for £8m proved to be a significant profit for the Hammers, as his subsequent career suggests, writes the FFC.
The Norwegian centre-back joined on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach in May 2016 after contributing four goals and one assist in 31 Bundesliga appearances the previous season, with an impressive average rating of 6.96 from WhoScored.
Nordtveit’s experience playing at the highest level with Monchengladbach and Norway made him an attractive signing for West Ham. However, his form at the London Stadium was disappointing, as he only managed to make 16 Premier League appearances in the 2016/17 season, with an abysmal average rating of 6.46 from WhoScored.
He was subsequently sold in the summer. Despite this, Nordtveit’s departure was a shrewd piece of business by West Ham, who sold him for a substantial profit. In a 2022 discussion of some of West Ham’s worst players, journalist Alan Rzepa even suggested that Nordtveit was worse than Issa Diop, who also failed to impress fans in his last few seasons at the club.
Nordtveit’s fortunes did not improve much after leaving West Ham, as he struggled for game time at Hoffenheim and during his loan stint at Fulham. Following the expiry of his contract with Hoffenheim, he remained without a club until last month when he signed with Skjold IL in his native Norway. Despite being just 32, Nordtveit’s market value has plummeted to €200k (£175k), according to Football Transfers.