Erling Haaland seals Manchester City switch from BVB
Erling Haaland has left Borussia Dortmund to join Premier League champions Manchester City for a reported €60m.
In May the Blues announced that they had reached an agreement in principle to bring the Norwegian to Manchester.
Today the club confirmed that they had completed the deal, with Haaland penning a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, starting on 1 July.
Welcome home, @ErlingHaaland! đź“Ť pic.twitter.com/IS2l0XXyzd
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 13, 2022
The 21-year-old told the Manchester City official club website: “This is a proud day for me and my family,
“You can’t help but admire their style of play, it’s exciting and they create a lot of chances, which is perfect for a player like me. I want to score goals, win trophies and improve as a footballer and I am confident I can do that here.”
Several reports have suggested that City triggered the striker’s release clause and that he will earn a weekly wage of £375,000, excluding bonuses, as his two and a half year stay in Germany comes to an end.
Thanks for the great memories, Erl!
Wishing you the best of luck on your new journey pic.twitter.com/gLpVwKofZo
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) June 13, 2022
Haaland’s father Alf-Inge Haaland played for Manchester City from 2000 until 2003. While he was at Maine Road, Erling was just a baby, meaning City make up some of his earliest footballing memories.
In an interview with the club’s media channels, he confirmed: “I’ve been a City fan my whole life. I know a lot about the club. I feel a bit at home here.”
Having acquired the services of a true footballing superstar, the club duly delivered appropriate marketing on their social media channels; one post on Twitter saw a modern recreation of a famous photo of a young Haaland sat on a sofa donning a 2008-09 Le Coq Sportif City home shirt.
HE'S HERE! đź’™ pic.twitter.com/JuZEtzTWbv
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 13, 2022
Despite Pep Guardiola’s side having won four of the past five Premier League titles, the general consensus among fans is that the only thing they lack is a true number nine and now they have that in the form of one of world football’s most exciting talents and most prolific frontmen.
Haaland’s BVB Journey
On the back of some promising years as a youngster in Norway, Haaland’s potential was spotted by Austrian side RB Salzburg, who signed the 6’5 striker in 2019, a year which also saw him net nine goals in Norway’s 12-0 Under-20 World Cup win over Honduras, as he made further headlines.
He only completed one full year with Salzburg, but it was the first half of the 2019-20 campaign which saw him attract major interest.
In 22 appearances, Haaland delivered 28 goals, including eight in five starts in the UEFA Champions League; that tally included a hat-trick against Genk and a goal in a defeat against the holders Liverpool.
Borussia Dortmund were one of numerous clubs vying to secure the Norwegian’s signature, with the likes of Juventus and Manchester United also in the conversation.
But in the winter transfer window, in January 2020, Haaland chose to come to Signal Iduna Park and the rest is history.
Many thought a step up to one of Europe’s top five leagues would be a tough adjustment to make. Haaland had other ideas.
The then-19-year-old made an unprecedented immediate impact, coming off the bench to score a hat-trick on debut against Augsburg.
Two goals in his next appearance against Köln took his tally to five in just 56 minutes of football. Despite little minutes, that form was enough for Haaland to win the league’s player of the month award.
8 goals in his first five games 🔥
A record-breaking start to life in the #Bundesliga for Erling Haaland đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/jQRsbQRUnu
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) February 14, 2020
A further two goals on his full debut against Union Berlin meant he became the fastest player to score seven goals, as well as five, in Bundesliga history.
Away from the league, Haaland also marked his DFB-Pokal debut with a goal in a defeat at Werder Bremen, while he also netted twice on his Champions League debut for the Black and Yellows against PSG.
It was clear from just a few matches that Erling Haaland would be a Borussia Dortmund star.
The following season, he would continue in the same vein, as he ended the term with 41 goals in all competitions (along with 12 assists).
His tally of 27 in the Bundesliga was enough for the former Molde man to win player of the season, while he added another 10 to his tally in Europe, as Dortmund reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
Meanwhile in the Pokal, Haaland scored an extra time winner to help BVB past Paderborn in the round of 16, before netting twice in their 4-1 final victory over RB Leipzig in Berlin.
He sadly couldn’t add to that cup win with any more silverware last season, a year in which he struggled with injury problems, but a tally of 22 league goals in 21 starts is certainly no mean feat.
What the future holds
Erling Haaland leaves Borussia Dortmund after two and a half years, with an unprecedented goal-scoring record and a legacy he can be proud of.
After leaving the parting gift of a goal in his farewell match against Hertha last month, the club will now look ahead to the future.
Most fans have no doubts that Haaland will thrive in England, playing at the highest level, for a team full of world class players, which creates so many chances.
As for BVB, they will now look towards finding a replacement, which is no easy task.
But the club have already completed the signing of German talent Karim Adeyemi, another talented RB Salzburg forward.
The fee was reported as €38m.
Borussia Dortmund is thrilled to announce the signing of German International, Karim Adeyemi, on a contract until June 2027! đź“ť pic.twitter.com/JEoNB6VleY
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) May 10, 2022
Adeyemi is unlikely to be the only incoming this summer, as the club will also look into bolstering other positions, but they are reportedly in the hunt for other strikers, to make up for what they’ll lack in Haaland’s absence.
Sport1 are reporting that Ajax’s Sebastien Haller is a primary target for BVB, while BILD have also claimed that Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic is on Edin Terzic’s shortlist. Donyell Malen didn’t have the best debut season at Signal Iduna Park, but he may see more opportunities up front now Haaland is gone.
It will certainly be an interesting summer and season for Borussia Dortmund.
