Everton have signed Karoline Olesen from Fortuna Hjørring for an undisclosed fee, with the midfielder agreeing a two-year deal until the end of June 2025.
Highly regarded as one of Denmark’s upcoming stars, the 18-year-old reunites with manager Brian Sørensen who promoted Olesen to Fortuna’s senior squad during their time together in the Danish Women’s League.
A Denmark youth international, Olesen becomes the fifth summer signing after striker Martina Piemonte, goalkeeper Emily Ramsey and midfielders Emma Bissell and Justine Vanhaevermaet.
A creative midfielder with an eye for goal, Olesen says she cannot wait to get started in Royal Blue.
“It’s very exciting to be here,” she told evertontv. “I’m very happy to start my journey as an Everton player.
“I had a great time at Fortuna where I met Brian and Stephen [Neligan] who are now coaching here at Everton.
“I’m very excited to work with them again because they’re great coaches and they can take me to the next level.
“I have a lot of trust in Brian, so I’m excited to take the next step of my journey with him.
“I’m looking forward to meeting all the fans and hopefully we can achieve great things together.”
Olesen joins an ever-growing Scandinavian presence at the Club, and she is set to work alongside four Denmark internationals in Nicoline Sørensen, Katrine Veje and Karen and Sara Holmgaard.
Olesen trained with the Denmark senior squad earlier this year ahead of the World Cup and is excited to reconnect with the Danish Blues.
“At the beginning of the summer, I met all of the Danish players who play here, and they were so sweet,” Olesen continued.
“They had only positives to tell me about the Club and the team’s style of play.
“I believe they will be so welcoming [for me] once they come back from the World Cup.
“There’s no ceiling for this team. The style of play fits me very well and I think we can go on and do great things this season.”
Manager Sørensen is confident Olesen has a bright future ahead.
“I’m really happy we could bring Karoline to the Club. She’s a player I know very well,” he told evertonfc.com.
“I gave her a senior debut aged 16 in the first game of the season and she scored.
“It was two years earlier than perhaps she expected, but I did that because she was good enough and that’s why she’s here now.
“She has a lot of learning still to do, but the potential is there. I saw that from day one back in Denmark.
“I’m sure she has a brilliant career ahead of her, but she must now come out of her comfort zone to maximise her potential and I don’t think there is a better place to achieve that than here with us.
“At Everton, we give young players the opportunity to play and to become top stars.
“With what I’ve seen of Karoline and the knowledge that I have of her, she has all the attributes to become one. Of course, it will take a lot of hard work and there will be a lot of growing with her.
“It’s an exciting time for her and for us. Evertonians can expect a player who will be everywhere on the pitch, very mobile and technically gifted.
“She’s a baller. Of course, she needs time to increase her physicality and understand the intensity of the game here in England, but I’m sure she will adapt to that.”
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