Jayden Nelson: Rosenborg “have a plan” to make the winger into a top league 5 player

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“It has been cold,” Jayden Nelson said while laughing when asked about settling in Norway. That might be an odd answer coming from a Canadian, but it appears Norway might just beat out Southern Ontario when it comes to cold temperatures. In January, the 20-year-old winger joined Norwegian side Rosenborg BK from Major League Soccer side Toronto FC for around €1 million. Transfermarkt sat down with Nelson and his agent Nick Huoseh to discuss the transfer to Rosenborg, the difference between the Eliteserien and MLS, and the next development step for the 20-year-old forward. 

“Two of the world’s top players came from Norway,” Nelson’s  Huoseh from ATG Sports Management said when asked by Transfermarkt why Nelson chose Rosenborg for the next step in his career. Just look at Erling Haaland. It is a good development league, and it is also a competitive league, not as easy as people think it is.” 

Indeed, Transfermarkt understands that there was a race to sign Nelson last winter. Clubs from Belgium and the Netherlands were also interested. But unlike Rosenborg, those clubs wanted to bring in Nelson on an initial loan with an option to buy. Toronto FC wanted a transfer, however, and Nelson’s team, too, felt more comfortable about a permanent transfer.  

Jayden Nelson: Rosenborg provided “good opportunities”

“Rosenborg came to the table; they are a big club in Scandinavia, and they play in Europe; we feel there were good opportunities there for Jayden,” Huoseh said to Transfermarkt. “We were saying: ‘You know what, if he stays in MLS, it will be harder to get minutes, and at Rosenborg, he can get used to the European game.” The older generation will remember Rosenborg’s exploits in the Champions League. In the early 2000s, the Norwegian record champions (18 league titles) were a regular in the UEFA Champions League. Without a league title since 2018, the club from Trondheim has featured in the Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League. 

Although Rosenborg have gone through a bit of a title drought, there is a strong track record of developing talent. Casper Tengstedt was sold for €7m to Benfica, and Emil Konradsen Ceide joined Serie A side Sassuolo for €3m. “I chose Norway because you can see in the stats that guys come here and are shipped to bigger teams, and they develop players well in the league,” Nelson said. “A guy like Casper, who just went to Benfica, played a big role in me coming here. So, I just saw the opportunity. I heard the plan that they had for me, and it was like a no-brainer for me to come to Rosenborg.” 

That plan includes moving Nelson back from a more central role back to the wing, where he will be able to express himself more freely and show his biggest strengths. “The way they are playing works great for him and will give him opportunities for one-v-one situations and duels, and they want to see that too,” Huseouh said. “That was something that at Toronto, where he was playing on the field, he could not always show.”

Nelson on MLS vs Eliteserien comparison: “It is grittier, and more tactical”

Some of that was already visible in Nelson’s first game in the Eliteserien. The 20-year-old got the start on matchday 2, playing as the left winger in a 3-4-3 system against Molde (1-1). In 64 minutes of play, collected completed 87% of his passes, 50% of his four dribbles, and one assist. Despite the good start, Nelson admitted that he will need some time to adjust to Norway. “In terms of football, it has been different; the style of play has been very, very different right out of the gate,” Nelson said. It is different from MLS; it is grittier and more tactical. It is very unpredictable. You can be 2-0 up, and then it can turn quickly. It is very back and forth. That suits me well because it creates opportunities.” 

Jayden Nelson in action for Rosenborg BK. The forward impressed in his first start this season.

Nelson, however, feels that that sort of unpredictability will suit his development. “I would say my style of play will help,” Nelson said. “Because there aren’t many players like me here. There are many similar styles of players, and I stand out a bit because I like to be creative. I like to play forward passes; I like to combine and get engaged in one-v-ones. And there aren’t many players like that in the league. So that’s how I will fit; I bring my qualities.” 

Qualities Rosenborg hope to capitalize on these at one point. “They have a good plan for him,” Huoseh said. “They want him to develop into a top player in the league, win a championship with him and then move him on to another league.” Winning a championship would be, of course, a significant achievement for Rosenborg. In recent years Molde and Bodø/Glimt have dominated the league, and, as a result, Trondheim have not won a title since 2018. 

Nelson: Herdman “is happy about” Rosenborg move – Focus on the club 

Winning a title with Rosenborg is, therefore, the big focus for Nelson this season. But what about beyond that? “I don’t know,” Nelson said when asked about his goals in his career. “I like to focus on short-term goals. My next step is to conquer this league and show that I can eventually play in a top-five league.” 

Another short-term goal is also to make it back to the national team. Nelson did confirm to Transfermarkt that he was supposed to be in the March camp for the Concacaf Nations League games against Curaçao (2-0) and Honduras (4-1). But with the forward just completing a move to Europe, the player, and national team head coach John Herdman agreed that it would be best to focus on the club instead. 

“He is happy about the move,” Nelson said when asked what Herdman’s reaction was when he learned he was going to join Rosenborg. “Sam Adekugbe was [in Norway at Vålerenga] as well, and he said it was a great opportunity, and he developed well and is a good league to win a spot in the national team.” Adekugbe used the platform to eventually get a move to Turkey, first to Hatayspor and then to giants Galatasaray this last winter. Based on his talent, Nelson certainly has the potential to emulate Adekugbe’s career path, maybe even more, and with Rosenborg, he has found a club that not only believes in his potential but also seems to have a plan in place to get the most out of it in short order.

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