Jo Tessem

Norway

Tessem hails from Brekstad in Sør-Trøndelag, and his original club was Ørland BK. He played for this club in the lower divisions, but concentrated more on his professional career. He served in the Norwegian Armed Forces for a period, and worked at Værnes Air Station. He trained with local team Stjørdals-Blink at the time, but did not sign any contract. When enrolling at the Norwegian Police University College in Oslo in 1994, he needed to stay in shape and began training with Lyn, who were playing in the 1st Division at the time. He quickly showed off his talent, and was offered a professional contract. In the 1996-season, Tessem scored 15 goals in 22 matches, helping Lyn earn promotion to the highest division. After four years in Oslo, Tessem transferred to Molde after the 1997 season. While playing here, he also worked part-time as a police officer.

Southampton

He was signed by Dave Jones for Southampton for £600,000 in 1999, and made his debut on 20 November 1999 at home to Tottenham Hotspur playing an unfamiliar role as right-back in place of the injured Jason Dodd. Although he was a midfielder he was extremely versatile and was often played as a striker in partnership with James Beattie. He was a regular player up to the 2002–03 season and played in the FA Cup final against Arsenal on 17 May 2003, coming on as a late substitute for Anders Svensson. His final tally for the Saints was 130 matches and 16 goals.

Back to Norway

Tessem…

On 14 July 2022, it was announced he would join BBC Radio Solent, commentating on Southampton matches.

As of match played 27 September 2022

Tessem has nine caps for Norway, earning his first cap on his 29th birthday in February 2001.