In a recent report, The Daily Mail revealed that Chelsea have begun talks to land Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland this summer. It is understood that the Blues are willing to use Tammy Abraham as a makeweight to sign the Norway international but might have to cough up as much as £170m to complete the transfer (via The Daily Mail).
Haaland’s Incredible Numbers In German Football
Haaland has continued to flourish as Dortmund’s primary centre-forward and deserves credit for putting in several eye-catching displays for the German giants over the past ten months. The Norwegian marksman participated in 41 matches for his current employers last season, netting 41 goals and picking up 12 assists in multiple competitions.
The Leeds-born frontman has been a consistent goal-scorer for Dortmund and did well to average 3.3 shots, 1.0 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga. However, Haaland needs to improve his accuracy when distributing the ball in the final third after completing 72.7% of his attempted passes in the German top-flight (stats via whoscored).
The 20-year-old has been playing at the top of his game for quite some time now, so he will be a massive coup for Chelsea if they can win the race for his services in this off-season.
Will Haaland Be A Dream Option For The Blues?
Haaland has firmly established himself amongst the most feared goal-scorers in European football. He is an excellent finisher in front of the opponent’s goal and can also contribute by picking up his fair share of assists.
The Norway international is blessed with electric pace that helps him make some well-timed runs in behind the opposition backline. However, his overall link-up play in the final third has a lot of room for improvement.
A striker of Haaland’s skillset will undeniably bolster Thomas Tuchel’s attacking options significantly ahead of the new season. Based on his form at Dortmund, he will be a significant upgrade over Timo Werner, Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud and Kai Havertz at Stamford Bridge after they all failed to find consistency in terms of goal-scoring last season.
At 20, Haaland is only getting started and has the potential to become a prolific goal-getter throughout the rest of his career. Hence, Tuchel can expect him to lead the line for Chelsea for years to come as long as the German head coach can agree on a big-money move to bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer. All in all, the Dortmund star will be a dream option for the West London giants to consider during this summer transfer period as he could help them challenge for the Premier League title once again next season.
