Borussia Dortmund superstar, Erling Haaland, has reportedly signed a secret deal with Manchester City. The Norwegian forward is believed to be on his way to the Etihad next season.
Pep Guardiola has never hidden his desire to sign an out-and-out forward. Sergio Aguero’s summer departure to Barcelona coupled with Ferran Torres’ move to the same club in January has left his side bare in attack, just like an online casino gambling site with little slot games.
With Gabriel Jesus seemingly falling short of expectations, the Spaniard has been forced to play Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, as makeshift false nines, though it hasn’t hindered their chances of retaining the Premier League title.
City were close to signing Harry Kane last summer. But they were unable to meet Daniel Levy’s asking price for the England captain having already splashed £100m on Jack Grealish. However, this may ultimately be a blessing.
According to Daily Mail, the Citizens will activate the Dortmund striker’s £63million release clause which becomes active in the summer. It is being reported that Haaland will choose the Etihad Stadium outfit despite interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
The former Salzburg star is thought to have agreed personal terms with City and the ‘framework of the transfer’ is ready to be signed off by the higher powers at the club.
Blessed with exceptional pace, power and finishing, Haaland has turned heads since breaking onto the footballing scene at Molde, scoring 149 career goals in 190 appearances. This season, he has buried 16 efforts in just 14 Bundesliga appearances.
But signing a dominant player such as Haaland would almost force Pep to make modifications to his system. The manager, though, appreciates the varying needs of different strikers just as it it on best online casinos Canada.
Speaking in the past, he said: “The tactic is for the qualities of the players. If you have strikers like Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, you have to make crosses because they are so strong in the box. For Sergio Aguero, we have to find other solutions. The way we finish the attack depends on the qualities of the players.”
At 6ft 3ins, Haaland will benefit from crosses into the box. He’s strong, physical, tall and appears suited to scoring with his head. He is also incredibly fast despite his size.
The Norwegian is a nightmare for opposing defenders when he’s fed with through-balls in behind, as he sweeps them up quicker than most of his peers and then usually finds the net. His movement is also shrewd enough for him to score tap-ins close to goal. In fact, 15 of his 56 goals in the Bundesliga have been scored inside the six-yard area — and just two of them have been scored from outside the penalty box.
Halaand, though, is not particularly inclined to drop deep and contribute in possession like Kane or some of the creative types at City but when it comes to concluding attacks, he is multidimensional. He can get on the end of low and high crosses. The youngster can lead counter-attacks. He can threaten in behind. He can act as a poacher who emerges in the right places at the right time.
