Erling Haaland's adventures in Manchester City

Imagine being Dembélé and watching scrubs like Torres being signed for €55+10 millions and a Haaland deal worth €190m.

The guy has every right to want to leave tbh.

Kaladin wrote:

Haaland isn't going to Barca.

Barça/Madrid can't compete with City financially, simple as. The only way to draw him is the sporting project in place.

Kaladin wrote:

Haaland isn't going to Barca.

If the offer of 190m/5 seasons is true then there is a chance. City's best paid player is on the same money and I doubt they'd offer much more as to not stretch their salary limits.

Also it's much better to live in Barcelona than in rainy Manchester

Not sure he fits Barca style though and don't think he will sign but it's always possible. We're not Milan whose revenue is lower than fucking Everton

City topping the table

Ornstein has confirmed he’s going to City

Honestly his goal scoring record never fails to amaze me.

He’s been a goal per game player since he was 18. He has 170 career goals at 21 years of age. He would probably be closer to 200 if he wasn’t injured so much this season. If he stays fit and achieves his potential he’ll probably finish as the total all time top scorer in official football competitions.

I believe he's only scored 1 goal this year. I watch all of Dortmund's matches, and he's looked uncharacteristically hesitant since his most recent return from injury. His finishing has also been far below his usual standard. I hope that's just a sign of him being careful, and not a longer-term issue.

I've genuinely enjoyed watching him since he arrived at Dortmund, and I don't believe that's bias talking. He rejuvenated my interest in football as a whole, when my interest dropped to the point where I couldn't even bring myself to watch Real Madrid's matches on a regular basis anymore. I've never seen another player quite like him, and the fact that he's an elite performer on top of that makes him all the more interesting to watch. If he can continue on the trajectory that he was on prior to the injury woes he's suffered in recent months, he has limitless potential.

I honestly wish he had picked Arsenal. As much as I know that was unrealistic, I think he'd flourish in a young team with a lot of potential and I can see him really thrive under the style of football that they play. Man City may be his short-term best option for success, with seemingly endless funds, plenty of goalscoring providers and a comparatively broad, robust bench to keep the players relatively fresh throughout a long, league season. but I don't even want to imagine how Pep intends to utilize him in the coming years. Maybe he'll be the sweeper keeper that Pep has been searching high and wide for.

Looks like it's a done deal for City.

I'm very disappointed because he would've been the ideal heir to Benzema and there is no other reliable n9 in the market.

Massive addition to City and big, big loss to Madrid (and everybody else).

Wish him all the best.

Tbh he is very different to Benzema. I dont mind waiting if we can secure someone with his profile or a WC RW if Mbappe becomes CF

Rest easy DoC. He said it would be unforgivable for Madrid to lose out on Haaland. Barca are in need of fans however. Best of luck there DoC

Mbappe will play left... not CF.  Haaland was perfect pairing not only because where they each play, but also speed.  They're both crazy fast.  Would have been fun to watch them just destroy defenses every which way.

Mistake by Real Madrid.  Oh well.

I'm more or less convinced that it was all down to money. Madrid simply can't match City's spending power, and maybe those guys gave him an offer and guarantees he couldn't refuse.

Either that or he simply didn't want competition and he understood that he couldn't get that with Benzema still around.

He and Mbappé would have made Madrid's frontline the deadliest in Europe. I mean the level of ruthlessness and brutality those two would command playing in the same team together would make any opponent tremble to their bones.

But like sports said: oh well...it simply wasn't meant to be.

Spoiler:

sportsczy wrote:Mbappe will play left... not CF.  Haaland was perfect pairing not only because where they each play, but also speed.  They're both crazy fast.  Would have been fun to watch them just destroy defenses every which way.

Mistake by Real Madrid.  Oh well.

Like he is doing for QSG......The team that has promised him heaven and earth

It's not a mistake losing out on Haaland. We'll be just fine just as we'd been if we'd missed out on Mbappe

We have won 2 out of 3 league titles and a corrupt referee away from winning 3 in a row. We are also in the CL final and reached the semis last season with over 100 injuries. Could probably have competed better if ZZ hadn't turned into a Pep

I'd ratter focus on finally getting a WC RW than adding a million strikers

The Demon of Carthage wrote:I'm more or less convinced that it was all down to money. Madrid simply can't match City's spending power, and maybe those guys gave him an offer and guarantees he couldn't refuse.

Either that or he simply didn't want competition and he understood that he couldn't get that with Benzema still around.

He and Mbappé would have made Madrid's frontline the deadliest in Europe. I mean the level of ruthlessness and brutality those two would command playing in the same team together would make any opponent tremble to their bones.

But like sports said: oh well...it simply wasn't meant to be.

Spoiler:

According to Ornstein Haalands long term goal is RM. We'll have to see how long his contract runs for. According to the same man Haaland will fit into City's wage structure meaning he will be more than an option in a few years should he decide to leave

For the price he'd come for he was a no brainer but i really fancy us going after someone of similar profile to Benz

Tbh if madrid miss out on both haaland and mbappe and then buy pogba it will make me more happy than if we won the double.


Anyway they can't be on the same team for the same reason Ronaldo and Messi would never, imo

halamadrid2 wrote:

The Demon of Carthage wrote:I'm more or less convinced that it was all down to money. Madrid simply can't match City's spending power, and maybe those guys gave him an offer and guarantees he couldn't refuse.

Either that or he simply didn't want competition and he understood that he couldn't get that with Benzema still around.

He and Mbappé would have made Madrid's frontline the deadliest in Europe. I mean the level of ruthlessness and brutality those two would command playing in the same team together would make any opponent tremble to their bones.

But like sports said: oh well...it simply wasn't meant to be.

Spoiler:

According to Ornstein Haalands long term goal is RM. We'll have to see how long his contract runs for. According to the same man Haaland will fit into City's wage structure meaning he will be more than an option in a few years should he decide to leave

For the price he'd come for he was a no brainer but i really fancy us going after someone of similar profile to Benz

Problem is Hala, I don't see anybody else good enough on the market for the n9 position. Donkeys like Lukaku are being sold for €100m.

We may not feel how big of a mistake it was to let him go right now, but when Benzema regresses (and make no mistake he will), we will have a pretty hard time replacing him.

Meanwhile, the bald fraud has just gotten himself a confirmed killer.

Speaking of which, it will be hilarious if he still fails to win the CL, even with Haaland

Kane would probably be that man if he didn't renew. Bad judgement from his side imo.

We'll see what the WC brings. We know Perez likes to window shop there

If Pep still doesn't win CL with Haaland then he is no better than Pellegrini

The curious case of Real Madrid shows you dont necessarily need the best or most sought after players to win, all you need is a nobody like Rodrygo to score 2 in 1 minute


highly doubt Haaland can score 2 goals in 1 minute!

Myesyats wrote:Tbh if madrid miss out on both haaland and mbappe and then buy pogba it will make me more happy than if we won the double.


Anyway they can't be on the same team for the same reason Ronaldo and Messi would never, imo

Pogba didn't come during his peak hype, he sure as aint coming now.

If we fail to get Mbappe Perez will just tell us how we have the best team and Hazard will be like a new signing bla bla. He's done it before

Pogba is definitely joining QSG and their ultra will be up in arms

Myesyats wrote:The curious case of Real Madrid shows you dont necessarily need the best or most sought after players to win, all you need is a nobody like Rodrygo to score 2 in 1 minute


highly doubt Haaland can score 2 goals in 1 minute!

Or you could be winning by scoring 14 goals in the knockout stages against supposedly 3 of the 5 favourites for the CL title before the season started. Bet Haaland would've liked to have been part of that. Pep couldn't even win with Lewa. Can'twait to see Haaland be reduced to moving around 3 Square feet or be benched for the season

The good news is that nobody is better than Benzema right now. Neither Haaland nor Mbappe. How long can he keep it going? I say 2 years.

Likely someone new emerges in the next 2 years.

What I believe is missing from this discussion is responsible financial management. For clubs like City and PSG, there is no concept of club finances, they are only concerned about what rules are in place that may restrict them (and how they can circumvent them). Clubs like Barca under previous management just spent in reckless manner.

What Perez adheres to in an almost religious fashion is ensuring the team signings are within capital budget and at same time has a rigid adherence to both salary ladder and as well ensuring the overall salary load is well within income streams.

In order to make a bid for Haaland, that meant there was a limit to what they could bid for him. Salary was not a problem with all the departures coming up. So City’s offer exceeded that self imposed limit.

On the other hand, getting Mbappe and now Rudiger solves most of the issues. Getting Haaland would have created a delicate problem, for at least next season at least in playing both Haaland and Benzema.

@Sports, I read somewhere that we think he can keep it up till he's 38. I am not sure. Benz has been killing himself these last few seasons. We all saw what happened with Ramos who had the same drive. When Benz wins the balon d'or he'll have achieved it all bar winning big trophies with France. How much longer will he kill himself afte that?

Depends how this world cup goes.  if France win the WC, i give Benzema another two years at this level at the Euro.  If the WC doesn't go well for France, then he'll try to extend himself until the next one.

Also, with Mbappe, he doesn't need to carry the attack anywhere near as much all the time. He can pace himself more.

Benzema's case is quite 'unusual' because I would pick 34-year old Benzema over any younger version of his, including his Lyon days, any day.

This season, in particular, is in my opinion his best in a Madrid shirt. He's been simply sensational on all levels. This goes of course against any form of logic because you would expect a striker to regress as they age, but Benzema seems to be improving with age which is unprecedented for a number 9.

I do, however, think that he will not be able to keep this up for long. For instance, I'm already convinced that he will not be just as good next season. It is simply unrealistic to expect him to replicate and take this season's form into the next. So we will start seeing glimpses of his regression from next season, but I do think that he'll stay elite for at least the next couple years. After that, it becomes a guessing game and speculation.

Madrid should have his replacement lined up before 2024, which coincidentally happens to be Kane's final year of contract with Spurs. By that time he'll be 30, but he'll have a few elite years left in the tank, enough to give Madrid a brief time window to look for a more permanent replacement.

As for Benzema, I have lost count how many times I wished he would leave Madrid. Now, all I'm thinking about is for him to stay as long as possible and for Madrid to give him a farewell worthy of the legend he is. He won me over in the last couple years and I will surely miss him when he leaves.

Thanks legend!