Runar Norheim is a 19-year-old Norwegian wide midfielder that primarily operates from the left. Last season, he provided 8 goals and 4 assists in 2,476 minutes of Eliteserien action. The right footed Norheim joined Tromsø from Varden FK in 2020, slowly establishing himself in the squad before breaking out in 2024. During this period, he broke into the youth national team at U16 and in September made his U20 debut.
Athletically, Norheim has few limitations. He is above average height for his position and an explosive mover with near elite pace for the level. In addition, his quickness in turning displays his agility and ease in evading pressure when relying on his athleticism. His heavy minutes played and sustenance of intensity into the late stages of matches as only a teenager exemplify his high stamina and work rate. When engaging in duels, he is a willing participant physically but needs to build his strength to be an effective contributor in a more physical league or become more consistent domestically. Norheim is an impressive athlete at this level that is only held back by a small lack of senior level strength and coordination/control on ball caused by his feet going faster than his thoughts in some attacking moments.
On the attack, he shows two-footedness both in his dribbling and distribution, lending a slight preference to his dominant right foot. When attacking 1v1s, Norheim is at his best lining up his marker to take him on, most often with a burst of pace angled inside, though he can beat opponents to the outside. His natural explosiveness gives him a huge advantage in these situations. Additionally, he is a versatile distributor of the ball, mixing in both feet equally on his ground passing that has mostly reliable accuracy from short- and medium-range. On the dribble, Norheim is calm under pressure keeping his head up to scan inside, allowing him to use his vision to distribute quickly if needed and break lines when the opportunity presents itself. He must improve his first touch and his risk assessment, though, if he wants to continue developing his 1v1 and dribbling threats.
Norheim’s preference for his right foot shows most on his crosses, preferring to open his hips inside into in swinging crosses from wide or after cutting inside on the dribble. When crossing with his left, his crossing accuracy suffers. He does look to win set pieces via blocks at a solid rate within them to make up for it. In general, his crossing deliveries are placed accurately into areas rather than to targets, preferring to find runners at the back post. This leaks into his set piece deliveries where Norheim can also finish with notable accuracy from distance. Off ball, Norheim does quite well to support the attack with plenty of overlapping runs up the flank, leveraging his explosive pace and putting his high work rate on display.
Defensively, Norheim is strong in using his athleticism to his advantage. Although he can get caught switched off at times while man marking, his immense pace to recover makes up for it or allows him a last-ditch effort to block the move. When pressing, he is willing to work within the tactical setup to press high and wide primarily looking to cut out passing lanes. Norheim also utilizes his defensive instincts at a high level, anticipating well from the left flank then stepping up to intercept progressive passes. When possession moves into his area, he closes out swiftly to force them to recycle possession or dribble backward. He approaches these 1v1s with adequate physicality to force those retreats. On the contrary, Norheim must refine his focus to take better advantage of his instincts and athleticism on defense.
The 19-year-old Norwegian is a hard-working creator that is quite well-rounded for a wide midfielder. With improved first touch and decision making on ball, Norheim could move inside and fulfill a mezzala role. His frame, athleticism, and type of attacking output suit him for that position. He fulfills his current role just fine, but right footed left midfielders in a back three/five are not as sought after. Norheim has plenty of time to develop his talents to at least Eredivisie-standard. Getting there is a matter of specializing into a no. 8 or left winger to get the most of his potential.
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