Is the Kvistgaarden hype real? | OneFootball

Teemu Pukki was a one-off right? Surely we couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle twice? Before I get my hopes up too high, I thought we should try and get some legit expertise from someone who has followed Kvistgaarden in a more substantial way than quickly watching some YouTube clips.

Toke Møller Theilade is a Brøndby fan and a writer on all things Danish football. I started by asking him if Kvistgaarden is the real deal. “I would definitely say so. He was arguably the most dominant striker in the Danish league last season, and was poised for a big move this summer.”

Møller Theilade got right to the point, which is surely on every Norwich fan’s mind. “He has done (almost) everything Pukki did for Brøndby at least equally as well, just while being younger. The only thing missing for him, and perhaps the reason, together with injuries, he isn’t moving to a bigger club is that he hasn’t left his mark in European fixtures as Brøndby haven’t been in a group stage since 2021. Pukki on the other hand scored a legendary hat-trick against Hertha BSC once.”

The more of a lowdown I got from Møller Theilade, the more excited I got. Surely a dangerous mindset to have before the signing is done deal. “I would say he is the complete package apart from his size. He is a small striker, but he can do everything. He is incredible physically. He is, despite his size, strong and protects the ball well. His jumping ability is impressive and he is great with his head. His finishing is at a high level, which he proved by outscoring his xG by 3.4 in the Superliga last season. He is fast and dribbles very well. Lastly, he is versatile and can play both as a nine, a winger and behind another striker.”

Møller Theilade has got the receipts. “I did an analysis on VilfortPark.dk, a website covering Brøndby, last year on how much better Brøndby are when Kvistgaarden is playing. I found, for example, that we had a 28% higher xG per minute with him on the pitch, 34% more goals, 16% higher xG and 4% more points. Generally, the difference between Brøndby with and without Kvistgaarden was huge.”

This being an interview for Along Come Norwich, where we care more deeply about the ‘no dickheads’ policy than the player’s quality, I asked Møller Theilade about Kvistgaarden’s expected top bloke ratings.

“I think the main thing to say about him is that he has the mentality you just love to see as a fan. He is hardworking and passionate. He enters every tackle fully and never puts himself before the team. He is a true fighter.

“Unfortunately, partly because of his spirit, he has also suffered from a lot of injuries. Over the last two seasons, he’s missed 15 games due to injuries, and he has been at less than 100% for at least an equal amount. He isn’t the best at protecting himself on the pitch as he goes into every single tackle, sometimes unnecessarily. His many injuries have been costly for Brøndby, and also highly frustrated fans who knew he was the best player on the team.”

It seems like he’s a player who could settle quickly, too. “Being Danish, he already speaks English and should integrate easily. Having former Brøndby teammates, Oscar Schwartau and Anis Slimane, on the team makes it even easier. They were close already at Brøndby, as they all entered the first team around the same time.”

This sounds almost too good to be true – something some Brøndby fans might wonder too. “It should be added as well that many Brøndby fans are surprised that he might land in Norwich. He’s been linked with bigger clubs for ages, and we expected him to play in a top five league. There is something romantic about him following in the footsteps of Pukki, who is still extremely popular at Brøndby, but there is a bit of disappointment that we won’t get to follow him on a bigger stage.”

We’ll know in the next few days whether Norwich have pulled off what seems like quite a coup in landing Kvistgaarden. If we do, Norwich fans should judge him on more than the highlight reels, according to Møller Theilade. “Kvistgaarden is one of those players where watching just highlights doesn’t really do the trick. You will see him as a good dribbler and a clinical finisher there for sure, but you won’t see his passion and work ethic in those short YouTube clips. Those are things you can only enjoy when you get to watch him in full length.”

With any luck, we’ll have the chance to do that very soon.

Toke Møller Theilade is the editor-in-chief at Vilfort Park. Follow him on Twitter via @toketheilade.