Burnley: How is Sander Berge getting on at Fulham? | OneFootball

FLW looks at how Sander Berge is settling in at Fulham after departing Burnley this summer.

Burnley had a big summer in terms of departures.

Following their relegation from the Premier League last season, the Clarets have endured a number of key departures this summer, as Wilson Odobert, Dara O'Shea, Arijanet Muric and Sander Berge all got picked up by Premier League clubs.

It meant that Scott Parker and his staff had to go out and identify competent replacements in order to challenge for promotion in the Championship, which will be no easy task.

Parker has experience of achieving promotion to the Premier League, having done it with both Fulham and Bournemouth in the past, so there will be a firm belief that he can achieve a third with Burnley.

Last season was a disaster in the Premier League, but there were a few standout performers who have since departed. Sander Berge, for example, was reliable in midfield and played in all but one league game.

The defensive midfielder even contributed to four goals over the course of the season in all competitions, including a goal against Fulham in their 2-0 win over the West London club.

Fulham must have seen something in Berge that day, as they were keen to sign him this summer, and eventually got the deal over the line in August.

While this is a superb signing for the Premier League side, Burnley have lost an incredibly valuable midfielder after he spent just a year at the club.

Fulham identified Berge as the perfect signing

Fulham were forced to deal with a couple of big departures of their own this summer. The main one, of course, being Joao Palhinha's move to Bayern Munich, which earned the club a respectable fee of over £42 million.

Their star midfielder had departed, leaving room for Marco Silva to add to his midfield department. While Berge is not a direct Palhinha replacement, he adds a real physical presence alongside the likes of Sasa Lukic and Harrison Reed, who can occupy that defensive midfield role.

The Norweigan has a decent amount of Premier League experience under his belt after his spells with Sheffield United and Burnley, and he will add something new to Fulham's midfield, along with the exciting Emile Smith Rowe who also signed this summer, on a permanent deal from Arsenal.

What did Sander Berge say upon signing for Fulham

Last season, Berge found himself in a relegation battle at Burnley, but this season, the hope for Fulham is a comfortable mid-table finish after such a strong summer transfer window.

When speaking to Fulham's media, it was clear that the midfielder was delighted to have signed for them.

"Fulham has always been a team that has excited me, when I played them both in the Championship and the Premier League. It's fantastic how they play; 4-3-3, 4-2-31."

"The dna of the club is to be dominant, to be aggressive, to be front-footed and play nice football and excite people. I think that suits me."

"It's always been a tough place to come, so many quality players, and it's always been a team I could see myself playing for one day."

Berge's time with Fulham so far

Berge has not been a Fulham player for very long, but that did not prevent Marco Silva from putting the midfielder in his plans straight away.

Days after signing, he started for his new club in the second round of the Carabao Cup. Fulham travelled to Birmingham and won 2-0 through goals from Jay Stansfield and Raul Jimenez, and Berge played 65 minutes in midfield, before being substituted for young star Josh King.

Then, the Norweigan made his league debut for Fulham in their 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town. Berge started the game on the bench, but was introduced in place of fellow new signing, Emile Smith Rowe, with 20 minutes to play.