Bjorn Helge Riise has set his sights on earning a new contract with Fulham after being encouraged by Martin Jol’s arrival at the club.
The Norwegian midfielder looked set to leave Craven Cottage after enduring a lengthy spell on the sidelines during Mark Hughes’ tenure and chose to join Sheffield United on loan last January to preserve his place in the national side. Riise made just three appearances for Fulham under Hughes but has featured in four of Jol’s five games in charge so far. The 28 year-old is entering the last year of his current contract and is hoping to force his way into the first-team picture.
My first year here under Roy Hodgson was good. I played in almost every Europa game and the first year in the Premiership was good.
The second year when Mark Hughes came in I didn’t get many chances to prove myself, so that’s why I went on loan so I didn’t lose my place in the national team. I don’t like to quit, so I think I would’ve stayed here anyway and tried to fight.
But you can see early on if you get an opportunity to play in games, and so far under the new manager it’s been great. He is giving everyone opportunities and the chance to prove themselves.
Hopefully I can impress and stay on. I love it here, my family love it, so I would like to stay as long as possible.
Riise has, of course, recently been joined at Craven Cottage by his elder brother John Arne, who completed a move from AS Roma earlier in the summer.