Toke Møller Theilade: Until he came to Napoli, it had a nice and positive growth. He broke through at his childhood club Brøndby as a youngster, and left as a club icon. He played a crucial role in the club winning its first Danish championship since 2005 in 2021 with 10 goals and 10 assists. He then became our second biggest sale ever after Daniel Agger (whom I’m sure you don’t look at as fondly as we do). At Brøndby, he started out as a winger but was then moved to a central role in the midfield, which suited him a lot.
At Frankfurt, he also played centrally, and he continued his growth. He was a regular starter from pretty much day one, and contributed with both goals and assists. They won the Europa League in his first season there, and then the following year he scored their first-ever Champions League goal in the group stage.
Unfortunately, his next club choice was a bad one. He clearly needed to take a step toward a bigger club than Frankfurt, but Napoli was a mess when he joined them after they won the league. The coach that bought him, Luciano Spalletti, left before the season had begun, and Lindstrøm never really got a chance. When he finally played, he was always out of position and struggled to leave his mark.
Is Jesper Lindstrom a good signing for Sean Dyche’s Everton, a side that demands hard work?
I believe he would be a good signing for most teams.
He is a hard-working player despite him being offensively focused. He came through at Brøndby under a German head coach and learned gegenpress and aggressiveness at an early age. In Germany, he also played for an aggressive team and contributed eagerly in the pressing game. He is not the biggest guy, but his endurance and stamina are at a high level so he should adjust fine to the English game.
At Brøndby, he excelled as the offensive playmaker on a counter-based team that sat deep and then pressed aggressively. He was the guy all attacks went through in the championship season.
What are Jesper Lindstrom’s best qualities, and what can Everton fans expect from him?
He is a real team player in my opinion. He has a great eye for goal with a fantastic shot from distance, but also is really good at setting up his teammates. At both Frankfurt and Brøndby, he was involved in creating plenty of chances, yet is also great at finding space in the final third and coming into the penalty area to finish attacks at the right time to avoid coverage by defenders.
Obviously, he is also technically great, the kind of player who can easily fit into both a possession-based style but also a more counter-based based. He is a dynamic player who is fast when he has the ball at his feet, and he can take on opponents 1v1. He can move the ball forward quickly while still keeping an overview. The speed on the ball and the dynamic playstyle are some of his biggest strengths.
He is the kind of player that is easy to root for as a fan because he always gives 100% for the team and you can both see and feel his passion. He is a hard worker and there is no ego or drama with him.
He is also a versatile player. Although he is best centrally, he can be moved around and fit into different kinds of systems and styles. He can even play as a second striker if needed, but also as a number 10 and 8.
He can be a little unorthodox though as he is not a classic number ten. He likes to go deep to get the ball and move it forward, and he can also take wide positions to exploit open space. I would say he is best in a team that moves the ball at a high pace and wants to get forward quickly like at Brøndby and Frankfurt.
Does Jesper Lindstrom bear similarities to any past/present players?
He is a tough one to compare because of his versatile style, but I think one can draw some comparisons to Jack Grealish; perhaps more the Aston Villa version of Grealish when he played more centrally, than the winger version at Manchester City. Both of them are, although not fast off the ball, fast on the ball, and can both score and set up teammates. Both are also versatile and can be moved around too.
Are there any weaknesses fans should know about?
He is not the biggest guy, so he can be pushed away by big defenders and midfielders. For the same reason, he doesn’t offer much in the air either. When signing him, I think expectations are also important.
Napoli bought him to play wide, which is just not his position. He isn’t fast enough or a good enough dribbler to play effectively as a winger. He needs to play centrally in order to utilize his strengths and come into areas where he can help the team the most.
Why did things not work out for Jesper Lindstrom at Napoli? Could the same happen at Everton?
I think the circumstances at Napoli were almost unique. An early coaching dismissal, chaos off the pitch and then them playing a system where he never fit in.
Other details:
He has stated that he supports Liverpool in England previously and that he dreams of playing for them one day.
At Brøndby he is remembered as one of our biggest success stories in modern times. He grew up close to the stadium and his entire family are Brøndby fans as well. He will be followed closely by the Brøndby family since he is so popular, so Everton will get a lot of new Danish followers once he joins.
He is a super humble and down-to-earth guy, so very easy to root for.
