Rosenborg's scouting in South America pays off: Alejandro Lago (26) and Sebastián Eguren (24), both on the Uruguayan national team, are both set to sign for RBK.

Alejandro Lago

Full name: Eduardo Alejandro Lago Correa Born: 28 June 1979 Place of birth: Montevideo, Uruguay Height/weight: 187 cm / 78 kg Position: central defender Former clubs: Peñarol, Fenix International caps/goals: 20/0

Sebastián Eguren

Full name: Sebastián Eguren Ledesma Born: 8 January 1981 Place of birth: Montevideo, Uruguay Height/weight: 186 cm / 84 kg Position: midfielder Former clubs: Nacional, Montevideo Wanderers International caps/goals: 12/0

"We are very satisfied. These are players at a level so high that there really should be impossible to bring them to Norway," Rosenborg director of sports, Rune Bratseth, tells Norwegian daily Dagbladet.

Terje Liverød from Norway has worked in South America as scout for Bayern München and Schalke 04 in many years, and the last months he has followed four players in Uruguay on behalf of Rosenborg. In the end Rosenborg ended up with the 3rd and the 4th choice: central defender Alejandro Lago and midfielder Sebastián Eguren, who play for respectively Fenix and Montevideo Wanderers in their home country.

"The other two are simply too good and attractive. We have now chance signing them," Bratseth says.

Contracts until 2008
Wednesday Bratseth and Rosenborg chief executive Nils Skutle were in Düsseldorf where they together with Liverød met representatives for the players and the two clubs. There the final details were settled. The players have accepted contracts for 3 and a half year, until the end of the 2008 season.

"The only thing remaining before they sign is a medical test. The players will arrive in Trondheim on Tuesday or Wednesday," Bratseth says.

"Lago is a solid and robust defender. He plays on low risk and has a good pace. Eguren is a good allround midfielder who can be used both in attacking and defending roles. He has a great right foot which makes him a good passer and "marksman". He is in addition a captain type," the RBK director of sports tells Nettavisen.

"The best players in the Tippeliga"
Terje Liverød thinks the duo will strengthen Rosenborg remarkable.

"They must of course get some time to adapt, but these are top players. I believe there is no better player than Eguren in the Norwegian premier division, and that there is no better central defender than Lago in Norway," the scout tells Norwegian daily VG.

The clubs do not want to tell the transfer fees for the two players, but Liverød states:

"Rosenborg get these stars for less the price of one Norwegian U20 International player."

The agent of Lago og Eguren, Paco Casal, has by the way decided to begin a close collaboration with Rosenborg.

NB! Eguren was suspended in six months after a positive doping test because of a Copa Libertadores match in Ecaudor 12 February last year. There was cocaine in his blood, originating from a "coca tea" the players were given to cope with the extreme height in Quito, 2800 metres above sea level.

"This we were told by his club, and we have still decided to give him a chance," Rune Bratseth tells Trondheim daily Adresseavisen.