Rocco Robert Shein in a record transfer moves to Norwegian Eliteserien

Estonian midfielder Rocco Robert Shein has joined Norwegian Eliteserien club Fredrikstad FK in a record transfer deal. The 21-year-old spent the past year and a half with Dutch Eerste Divisie side Dordrecht FC, where he made 18 league appearances this season, scoring three goals and providing six assists.

Hans de Zeeuw, CEO of FC Dordrecht, remarked on the transfer, stating, “It was already clear last summer that Rocco was being actively pursued by many clubs at home and abroad. Although a transfer didn’t materialize then, I never believed we could keep Rocco at the club for much longer.“

Shein was purchased in the summer of 2023 from Utrecht for approximately 450,000 Euros. According to the Dordrecht CEO, this latest transfer marks “by far the largest outgoing transfer in the history of FC Dordrecht and the largest incoming transfer for Fredrikstad FK.” Reports from Soccernet.ee indicate that the rumored transfer fee is around 900,000 Euros.

Before his time in the Netherlands, Shein developed at the Flora Academy and played for the first team.

He joined Utrecht in January 2022 at the age of 18 and made his Eredivisie debut. Now, he is set to compete in Norway’s top-flight league.

Fredrikstad FK, currently in a training camp in Marbella, Spain, returned to the Eliteserien last season for the first time since 2012. The club had a strong showing, finishing sixth in the league, their highest placement since a second-place finish in the 2008 season.

Raio Piiroja, an Estonian and Fredrikstad legend who played for the club from 2004 to 2011, was the starting center-back for that successful 2008 team. Shein mentioned that he spoke with Piiroja before making the decision to join Fredrikstad, saying, “Raio is a legend in Estonia, and I’ve realized he’s a big star in Fredrikstad too. I actually spoke to him before I came here, and he encouraged me to sign.”

Source: https://fcdordrecht.nl/algemeen-nieuws/rocco-robert-shein-vertrekt-naar-fredrikstad-fk/ https://www.fredrikstadfk.no/nyheter/henter-estisk-landslagsspiller-veldig-spennende https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/rocco-robert-shein-siirdub-norra-korgliigasse