Albrechtsen OK at FCK

By Svend Frandsen & Cristian Frederiksen

One of Denmark's most promising footballers, the downturn in the transfer market has stalled Martin Albrechtsen's European adventure for a while, but the FC København player is happy to bide his time.

Record transfer
The 22-year-old became the most expensive transfer between two Danish sides when he joined FCK from Akademisk Boldklub for €1.35m in January 2002, and some of Europe's biggest clubs have been paying close attention ever since. Reports suggested that German giants FC Bayern München had offered €4.1m for the defender in January - an offer which FCK sports director Niels-Christian Holmstrøm dismissed, believing that his young charge was worth twice as much.

'No hurry'
Seeing such a move collapse might have been dispiriting for many a young player, but Albrechtsen insists he is in no hurry to leave Denmark. "There is no hurry," he told uefa.com. "I feel great here at FCK, and I'm willing to wait for one or two more years."

Excellent performances
For a player who has grown so quickly in stature since arriving at FCK, it may seem surprising that Albrechtsen has such patience. Since his move from AB, he has justified his billing as the best central defender in the Superliga, and, with FCK leading Brøndby IF by nine points on the eve of the restart of the Danish season, he may yet have a first Danish title to look forward to.

'Mentally stronger'
"Many people have asked me what has happened during the last year," he said. "Personally I believe that I'm just the same player as I used to be at AB. The only difference is that I am mentally stronger now because I have proved that I can handle the pressure at a big club.

Title challenge
"It is now that we have to prove that we are the best side in Denmark," he added. "All the pressure will be on us to capture the title but we have had a very finely tuned phase of preparation for the restart and I am confident that our squad will make the difference in the end."

Champions League motivation
He may not be about to join one of Europe's biggest clubs, but the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the best in the UEFA Champions League is enough of a carrot to keep Albrechtsen motivated. "It would be an incredible experience to qualify for the Champions League but for now we just have to play it match by match," he said.

National honours
While he waits for his big move abroad, Albrechtsen is also concentrating on proving himself as a member of the Danish national side after missing out on a place at the finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup when coach Morten Olsen elected to bring the more experienced Steven Lüstü to Korea/Japan instead.

Slovenian debut
Having made his international debut in a 3-0 friendly win against Slovenia on 25 April 2002, Albrechtsen has made only one further appearance for Denmark, but with AC Milan defender Martin Laursen - one of his main rivals for a place in the starting lineup - struggling to get regular first-team football in Serie A, he is still in with a chance of establishing himself.

Danish ambition
"Of course I would like to become a regular in the national team lineup, but right now my ambition is to be picked for the squad every time," he said. "In order to achieve that I have to play well for my club. This is what I'm going to - work hard for the future."