Luton striker Lasse Nordås has been linked with a loan move to Dutch Eredivisie side Heerenveen for the second half of the season, after reported interest from Championship club Wrexham.
The 23-year-old arrived in Bedfordshire during last January’s transfer window as a relatively untested quantity outside Norway, having previously featured for Bodo/Glimt and Tromsø. His form for the latter, nine goals and four assists from 28 Eliteserien appearances, was enough to convince Town to pay what the Norwegian side claimed was one of the biggest transfers in the club’s history.
Though officially undisclosed by Luton, at the time of the transfer Norwegian news outlet VG claimed the deal was at least 40 million kroner (£2.8million). It is now being reported by TV2 that that fee was 35 million kroner (around £2.5million)
But Nordås’ transition to English football has proved difficult and he’s largely been a player on the peripheries, both under Jack Wilshere and his managerial predecessor Matt Bloomfield.
Writing for Norwegian outlet TV2, journalist Eirik Nesset Hjelvik claimed the striker has already made up his mind, posting on Twitter: “Lasse Nordås has decided on Sunday that Heerenveen and Dutch football are his preferred destinations. He is thus rejecting Wrexham, among others. The parties are now working to finalise the details of a loan agreement. All parties are positive about a solution.”
During Luton’s ill-fated Championship campaign last season, Nordås made just two starts and 10 appearances in total as the club slipped into League One. This season has brought little change in terms of minutes, with four starts and 11 outings in the third tier, yielding a single goal.
Bloomfield’s sacking in October and the appointment of Wilshere have not significantly altered the forward’s standing in the squad. Illness ruled him out over the Christmas period, but even when available he has largely remained on the fringes, named in only four of a possible 13 match-day squads and used primarily in cup competitions.
The Vertu Trophy has offered a rare bright spot, with Nordås scoring three times including a brace in the recent 4-0 win over Exeter City, taking his overall tally to four goals from 17 appearances.
Despite that return, his chances in the league appear slim. Though Wilshere has publicly stressed that he remains under consideration, he also admitted he’d told Nordås that he wanted him to be more aggressive.
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