In a recent report, Bild (subscription required) claimed that Manchester City are in pole position to recruit Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland this summer. It is believed that the Mancunian giants have the financial resources to fund a move for the Norway international whose asking price will be around €75m [plus a further payment in bonuses] next year.
Haaland’s Sensational Form In German Football Last Season
Haaland had a fantastic campaign at Signal Iduna Park recently as he was responsible for producing a lot of match-winning performances for Dortmund. The 21-year-old banged in 41 goals and secured 12 assists in 41 appearances for the German club last season in all competitions.
The Norwegian sensation proved himself to be a consistent frontman at Dortmund by averaging 3.3 shots, 1.0 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in the last Bundesliga campaign. However, he needs to work on improving his link-up play in the attacking end of the pitch as evidenced by his pass success rate of 72.7% in the German top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Haaland is currently playing at a very high level and would undeniably add plenty of firepower to Man City’s attack. Hence, it makes sense for the Mancunian giants to make an attempt to sign the Norwegian goal-getter in January or next summer.
What Will The Norway International Add To Pep Guardiola’s Team?
Haaland can use his quickness and agility to pull off a few eye-catching runs in the final third. He has got a knack for creating space for himself and is usually quite accurate with his shot attempts. Standing at 1.94m, the Dortmund star is a towering presence inside the opponent’s penalty box and can win his fair share of aerial duels for his team.
More importantly, Haaland has already proven himself to be a deadly finisher in front of the opponent’s goal and can also contribute by picking up some important assists up top. However, as mentioned earlier, the only weakness he needs to work on is improving his passing accuracy deep inside the opposition half.
Haaland will be a great signing for Man City as he will add a lot of goals and physicality to Pep Guardiola’s frontline. The 13-time Norway international could help the Mancunian outfit maintain their stranglehold in English football and even compete for the UEFA Champions League trophy in the coming seasons. However, Haaland might struggle to adapt to Guardiola’s style of possession-based football if he ends up sealing a move to the Etihad Stadium next year.
