Petter Rudi interview Part II: the clubs he turned down to join Sheffield Wednesday and why he left

Rudi was relegated with Wednesday in the 1999/00 season and speaking to The Star described a frustration with injuries he believes curtailed his impact on a disastrous season.

In part one of The Star’s exclusive interview with the former Norway international he outlined the club’s handling of Paolo Di Canio’s infamous referee push as a seminal moment in the club’s downfall, as well as the departure of ‘charismatic’ manager Ron Atkinson in the summer of 1998.

Watched by a raft of English clubs as Norway qualified for the ‘98 World Cup in France, Rudi plumped for Wednesday, despite serious interest elsewhere, and completed a £700,000 move from Molde in October 1997.

“There were a few clubs interested” he said Southampton and Bolton were the clubs most interested and we had detailed talks with them. At that time Wednesday felt like the best option.

“They [Wednesday] saw me in the national team in 1997 and in that time it was very natural for Norwegian players to go over to England, there were lots of players in the national team who were in England so it felt right.”

Rudi, a friend of Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, said he sought no advice from teammates currently playing in the Premier League but that he was excited at the prospect of playing for such a well-supported club.

“It was good,” he said. “A big, traditional club and my first impressions were very good. It was the sort of club you want to play for.”

But Rudi soon realised there was a sinking feeling at Wednesday, he said, weighted by the pressures of off-field mismanagement and spiralling debt.

He said: “The timing was not perfect because the club was a bit down. When you look at the size of the club and its supporters it should be a club in the top of the Premier League but it was a difficult time for many reasons.

“I was very young so I was not so aware of everything that was happening off the pitch. It was a big disappointment for me how everything went. We had Ron Atkinson come in and it was a big, big disappointment for me that he couldn't continue. I think with him we could have been very good.”

Rudi, now 46 and working as an opposition scout for Molde and the Norwegian national team, said the opportunity to leave Wednesday after relegation in 2000 came at a good time for him and his family.

“When we went down all the players had the opportunity to leave,” he said. “It was a good time for me to go back to my family in Norway and start again.

“At that time I was still recovering from my operation and I needed to train to get back to play. I trained by myself for many months and then signed back for Molde.”