Danish football writer and editor-in-chief at Vilfortpark.dk, Toke Theilade, has been following Jesper Lindstrøm’s career since he was a youngster at Brøndby.
Here, Toke tells us what fans can expect from Everton’s newest signing.
Jesper Lindstrøm had only played a handful of games for Brøndby, when he came on in the dying minutes of the club’s Europa League qualification match against Polish side Lechia Gdansk in 2019. At the time, the Danish side was leading 2-1, which sent the match into overtime.
In the extra time, the faithful Brøndby supporters saw how special the young midfielder, who grew up in the shadow of the Brøndby Stadion, is. Lindstrøm scored two goals in the overtime and secured Brøndby a 4-1 victory and advancement to the next round.
Lindstrøm’s name was sung across the entire stadium after the match, and it was clear for most people that Brøndby had their hands on a special young player.
Since that magical night five years ago, Lindstrøm has developed from a youngster to an established star and he is now set to take on the Premier League after joining Everton on a season long loan with an option to buy.
In the footsteps of Laudrup
Lindstrøm is an academy product of Danish side Brøndby. The club is famous for having developed some of Denmark’s finest talents and has developed a long list of star players. The most famous of players that have gone through the ranks are the Laudrup brothers, Michael and Brian, Daniel Agger and Peter Schmeichel. In newer times, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Andreas Christensen are some of the better talents developed in the Western suburbs of Copenhagen.
Despite only being a regular for two seasons on the first team, Jesper Lindstrøm, or Jobbe as he is known among fans, remains one of the most popular players at the club in newer time.
Lindstrøm was instrumental in Brøndby breaking a 16-year championship draught in 2021, when he with ten goals and ten assists in the league, helped bring the Danish championship back to Brøndby for the 11th time in club history. Winning the league with the club, he went in the footsteps of the great players before him, and earned a move abroad.
Frankfurt made him Brøndby’s second biggest outgoing transfer after Agger, and he paid the German club back handsomely for the trust it put in him. In his debut season in Germany, Lindstrøm became the Bundesliga’s Rookie of the Year, an award given to the league’s best new player, and also helped Frankfurt win the Europa League.
The following season, he scored Frankfurt’s first ever Champions League goal, as he secured a 1-0 victory away against Marseille, and earned a spot in Denmark’s World Cup squad for the tournament in Qatar.
During his two years with Frankfurt, Lindstrøm contributed with 12 league goals and another six assists. This was enough to convince Napoli to bring him to Italy, as they sought to defend their championship.
The Italian Disaster
Up until last season, Lindstrøm’s career had followed a steady growth each season. But his year in Napoli, turned out to be a disaster, and his career was derailed.
Shortly after he moved to Naples, head coach Luciano Spalletti left the club following a disagreement with the club owner. Without the man who wanted him to the club, the Dane struggled to earn playing time.
Mostly deployed as a winger, Lindstrøm only played 418 minutes in the Serie A, and only started twice. At both Brøndby and Frankfurt, Lindstrøm played centrally on the pitch, and being played regularly outside of position, he struggled to make an impact when finally on the field. His performance dipped on all parameters, and his club struggled as well.
Napoli finished 10th in the Serie A, 41 points behind champions Inter, and the failure was complete. Being one of the more expensive players in the squad, the club started shopping Lindstrøm around, and before joining Everton he was heavily linked with French giants Lyon as well.
Hungry and Ready
Going to the Premier League is a dream for most Danish football players (and fans). The cultural influence of the league in the country is enormous and when Danes asks each other which football club they support, more often than not they are indirectly referring to Premier League clubs and not local Danish clubs.
For Lindstrøm the same is the case. He also grew up following the league avidly, and coming to Everton is thus a special moment for him. Following the disastrous season in Italy, he’ll be eager to wash away the stain and once again prove himself as one of the more exciting young European midfielders.
He arrives in Merseyside as a more or less complete offensive-minded midfielder as I also described in an interview with BBC earlier this week. He can score himself, proven at both Brøndby and Frankfurt, but also easily set up his teammates. His movement off the ball is at a high level, and his pace on the ball makes him lethal in counter attacks. His short passing and technique are more or less flawless, and he even participates well in the pressure defensively.
As a character, he is not the kind of guy that complains. He is hard working with a team first mentality. He is the kind of player that makes his teammates better and can lift the players around him in tough times.
He is furthermore versatile and able to be used in multiple ways. Although best on the offensive midfield, he can also play as a number eight or on the wing. If playing on the wing, he is best when allowed to drift inside the pitch and thus playing more as an inverted winger that participates in the build-up.
When it comes to negatives, the most obvious one is that he still lacks a bit of physicality. He has good stamina and endurance, but he has a smaller frame and doesn’t provide much aerial help. Furthermore, he can still improve his goal and assist contribution at the highest level.