Bought by Watford in the January window of 2018 from IFK Göteborg, Pontus Dahlberg never expected to be the starting goalkeeper immediately at Vicarage Road, but he might have thought about getting the odd appearance here and there.
Unfortunately for the young Swede, that has yet to happen, and after spending the first half of the current campaign watching his teammates from the stands or from home, it was decided he would be sent on loan.
FC Emmen in the Eredivisie decided to take a gamble on him, but even the Dutch side have yet to give him a go, as he has sat on the bench for the last four games in the league.
This obviously wasn’t part of the plan either, as he explained to Fotbollskanalen.
He said: “Both myself and Watford agreed that I should come out and play matches. That was the biggest reason”.
However, he’s struggled a bit because of the artificial turf the club used, which he isn’t used to after two years at Vicarage Road.
He’s had a few problems with his back, but he’s gradually adapting to his new surroundings, which he hopes will help him get on the pitch sooner rather than later.
He said: “I came here to play, not to sit on the bench. Will the 5-1 loss to Sparta help me do that? It’s always hard to say. I don’t know how the coach thinks. It’s clear that it’s more difficult to change if the team goes well and wins every game. I can say that much”.
As for his future at Emmen, it appears it doesn’t exist in his mind beyond this season.
He said: “Returning to Watford? That’s the idea right now and what I’m relating to”.
