By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Edvin Austbø.
The Norway U21 international winger joins from Norwegian club Viking FK in what has been the worst-kept transfer secret of this transfer window.
Austbø has signed a four-year deal with the option of an additional year, with West Ham officially confirming his arrival.
The Hammers had been pursuing the 21-year-old for much of August, initially seeing a bid rejected before finally agreeing a deal with Viking ahead of the transfer deadline.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I preferred West Ham to pursue Austbø rather than Reiss Nelson. He’s younger, has excellent potential and represents exactly the sort of signing I’d hoped Nils Koppen would start making.
So, what type of player have West Ham actually signed?
Austbø has excellent attacking numbers
What Type Of Player Is Edvin Austbø?
Austbø looks like a really interesting addition to West Ham’s attacking options.
The 21-year-old Norwegian is right-footed but does much of his best work from the left, meaning he is likely to find himself battling Manor Solomon for that position.
Like Solomon, he’s comfortable receiving the ball out wide before driving at defenders, although Austbø looks particularly keen to attack his opponent and get the ball into dangerous areas rather than simply keeping possession for the sake of it.
There is plenty to like about his attacking numbers.
Austbø is an extremely active winger, regularly taking defenders on and producing a high volume of crosses. From the left flank he has completed 26 of 47 crosses, while his overall crossing accuracy sits at an impressive 53%.
He’s also very effective when dribbling in the final third, retaining possession after 104 of 123 attempts, which suggests he’s not simply running at defenders and repeatedly giving the ball away.
| Edvin Austbø – Key Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Crosses completed | 35/66 – 53% |
| Left-flank crosses completed | 26/47 – 55.3% |
| Final-third dribbles retaining possession | 104/123 – 84.6% |
| Recoveries | 62 |
| Recoveries in final third | 35 |
Those numbers are one of the reasons Austbø caught my attention when West Ham’s interest first emerged. But most importantly of all, he passes the ‘eye test’ and looks to be an exciting player who’ll get fans off their seats.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing is his energy.
Austbø doesn’t appear to regard losing possession as somebody else’s problem. He regularly presses and wins the ball back high up the pitch, which should appeal to Nuno Espírito Santo and most importantly, any new coach should that be the case.
For now, NES has two right-footed left-wing options with pace, dribbling ability and a willingness to attack defenders.
The competition between them could be very healthy indeed unless someone is being shifted into the middle.
We also have Ajala!
Austbo, Golambeckis and Orford three very skillful youngsters Could there be signs of a classy WHU team in seasons to come?
Hands off any DOF who in the future, wants to cash in on their talent. NES, Noble, WHU, please do more than just the average routine of learning on the go.
Although primarily left winger he is versatile playing as an inverted winger.
Comfortable playing right wing in either 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 Nuno needs to note not 4-4-2.
Nuno has smile on his face or is that just through gritted teeth_I wanted Nelson!
No parking the bus this boy likes to attack which means goals.
Continually being stubborn will only get you the sack.
Watch Nuno deploy him in a more deep lying defensive position like what becomes our Graveyard position
Nice to get him over line. Didn’t realise until today that he is same weight and height as Summerville so hopefully that’s a good sign and he can handle the physicality of the Championship.
I’m delighted hope he does well looks a real talent. Welcome to West Ham , Austbø play well ⚒