Viking sealed a stunning move for Erik Botheim this summer, bringing him into their squad as they compete in the Champions League alongside their Eliteserien campaign. The Norwegian side have impressed during the qualifying stages of the competition, although their strong form in Europe does not guarantee that they will win even a single game in the Champions League league phase.
Nevertheless, Viking have done well to reach this stage and have recognised the need to add experience to their squad. That led to the arrival of Botheim, and his move has now given the club another supporter in the form of his close friend, Erling Haaland.
Botheim move delights Haaland
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Botheim and Haaland are childhood friends who also played together in Norway’s youth teams. Their friendship has remained strong despite the pair now playing in different competitions, and Haaland appears ready to follow his friend’s progress with Viking.
The Manchester City star is a supporter of rivals Bryne, his childhood club, but Botheim’s arrival at Viking could see him share that loyalty with the club. The move has clearly caught his attention, and he has already hinted that he will be keeping an eye on Viking during the campaign.
[Dagbladet](https://www.dagbladet.no/sport/reagerer-pa-sjokkovergang-aldri-vaert-sa-naere/85103252) says the signing of Botheim has delighted Haaland. When Viking announced the striker’s arrival on social media, the Manchester City star left a comment that suggested he could now become a supporter of the club.
Haaland makes his Viking intentions clear
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The report says Haaland wrote: “Never been so close to becoming a Viking supporter as now!”
The comment was more than just a simple message of congratulations and represented a strong hint that Haaland would follow Viking during this campaign. His main reason would be to support his childhood friend as Botheim begins this new chapter with the club.
Viking will now hope Botheim can use his experience to help them as they compete in both the Champions League and the Eliteserien. While their European qualifying success does not guarantee results in the league phase, reaching this stage already represents an achievement for the club.
For Haaland, however, the competition could now carry an additional interest. With Botheim wearing Viking’s colours, the Manchester City star has made it clear that he may be paying close attention to their progress and supporting his friend along the way.