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With the January window closed, all transfer talks are now focused on the summer – and with that, the question arises as to whether Erling Braut Haaland will leave Borussia Dortmund.
A move to the Premier League has long been considered for the Norway international, thanks in large part to his father Alfe-Inge’s successful playing career in England.
“One day Erling wants to play in the Premier League,” his father said. “I don’t know when the timing will be perfect.”
So if Haaland ventured to England, which side would suit him best and which club would benefit the most?
| club | Departures | Goals |
| Molde | 27 | 20 |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 17 | 29 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 33 | 38 |
Man City’s next-gen striker?
His father’s playing link to the club aside, there is a feeling that next summer could be Manchester City’s transfer window to end their four-year spell without signing a forward.
Sergio Aguero’s contract expires at the end of the season and Gabriel Jesus’ inconsistencies and injuries mean City cannot count on him to be the Argentine’s only replacement.
The finish of Jesus has been one of the main concerns – since the start of last season the 23-year-old has underperformed his Premier League goalscoring tally of 6.97 goals (in short, he has scored seven goals less than one would expect from the odds presented).
In contrast, Haaland has outperformed by 6.83 goals since joining Dortmund, which is almost a 14-goal swing between the pair.
A recent tactical development in City’s offensive play also potentially makes the transfer more viable.
In recent Premier League games manager Pep Guardiola has chosen to play at least one wide man on the flank of his stronger foot.
This led the team to attack more like they did in the 2017-18 season, when they got 100 points. In particular, Phil Foden on the left and Raheem Sterling on the right made direct, penetrating descents down the wing and then brought the ball back into the box.
The duo were supported by Joao Cancelo, who now plays right-back more often instead of cutting inside from left-back.
This is the type of serve Haaland would thrive on with his excellent move into the box – just one of his 27 Bundesliga goals came from over 12 yards.
A foil for Salah and Mane from Liverpool?
Recent reports have linked Liverpool to Paris St-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, but with the possibility that they have to sell one of their trusted strikers Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah to finance the move and make room for the Frenchman.
If the Reds were looking to complete the pair instead, it’s possible they might look like Haaland.
Roberto Firmino’s goal – six goals in 19 league starts – has never been his main strength, but there are also concerns about his bonding play and creativity, which have facilitated Mane and Salah’s success for so long time.
| Season | Assistance expected every 90 minutes | Chances created every 90 minutes | Progressive ball carried by 90 minutes (yards) |
| 2015-16 | 0.24 | 2.20 | * |
| 2016-17 | 0.23 | 2.28 | * |
| 2017-18 | 0.25 | 1.79 | 99.7 |
| 2018-19 | 0.22 | 1.47 | 95.0 |
| 2019-20 | 0.22 | 1.54 | 91.6 |
| 2020-21 | 0.16 | 1.20 | 76.8 |
| * data not available |
Haaland’s bonding game is an evolving facet of his game.
Take the recent game against RB Leipzig, for example. Julian Nagelsmann’s side stifled service to Haaland in the first half and he had just five touches of the ball.
In the second half, the Norwegian changed his method of attack, falling deeper and carrying the ball to prepare for Jadon Sancho’s goal, then helping to prepare for his own strike.
Perhaps this highlights the fundamental difference between Haaland and Firmino and could make it a long-term solution.
| Season | Key passes every 90 minutes | Ball carry distance per 90 minutes (yards) |
| 2019-20 | 0.6 | 82 |
| 2020-21 | 0.9 | 88 |
Man Utd’s main forward?
It is now well documented that Manchester United were very interested in signing Haaland from Salzburg 12 months ago, but Dortmund beat them in the fist. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s project looks more attractive now.
Anthony Martial has started 11 Premier League and Champions League games with the center-forward this season, but has only scored goals in those appearances.
When Marcus Rashford played on the left wing, with Martial as the attacker, in a 4-2-3-1 system, they naturally occupy similar areas of the pitch in the left inner channel and leave United without a central focal point.
Solskjaer recognized this tactical flaw and sparked a good run of results, selecting Edinson Cavani as a center-forward or using Martial and Rashford as a striking partnership in a 4-4-2 diamond system.
With Cavani turning 34 next month and only signing a short-term deal, there is good reason to suggest United would benefit significantly from the penalty bench presence Haaland brings to the middle.
He is also the perfect fit for Solskjaer’s heavy reliance on the counterattack.
Haaland excels at playing on the shoulder of the last defender and exploiting the gaps. Some of his points are timed so well that he’s even now scoring that type of goal against teams that have sat deeper this season, such as Freiburg, Schalke and Hertha Berlin.
It could provide Solskjaer with an additional weapon in games like January. 2-1 loss at home to Sheffield United, where United struggled to get scoring opportunities because they were denied space to counterattack.
And a potential partnership with Bruno Fernandes, who has achieved the most balls in the Premier League this season (15), would be a great stylistic fit.
| Anthony Martial | 2.43 |
| Edinson Cavani | 2.88 |
| Erling Braut Haaland | 3.72 |
Werner’s partner at Chelsea?
The central hitting role has remained a contentious position in Chelsea’s formation this season.
Frank Lampard could not find the ideal solution and regularly rotated Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud and Timo Werner.
This selection dilemma has surfaced again in Thomas Tuchel’s first two games since replacing the sacked Lamaprd as coach, with the German opting for Giroud in his first game in charge against Wolves and Abraham against Burnley. , before replacing him with Werner at half-time.
| Olivier Giroud | seven |
| Tammy Abraham | 15 |
| Timo werner | 6 |
Giroud has an impressive record this season (nine goals in 782 minutes – one every 87 minutes) and bond well with his teammates, but his lack of speed and athleticism can impact Chelsea’s overall structure as a team. ‘team – as seen in Tuchel’s first game against Wolves, where the Blues often lacked a runner behind to stretch the defense.
And while Abraham also has a good record in front of goal this quarter, as well as the athleticism that Giroud lacks, concerns remain about the 23-year-old England international’s ability to tie the game together with his team-mates in the same way as the French.
Haaland can potentially fix Giroud and Abraham’s shortcomings, while shattering their goal numbers.
| Striker | Minutes per goal since January 2020 | Successful pressures (%) this season | Assists expected every 90 minutes this season |
| Olivier Giroud | 125 | 27% | 0.24 |
| Tammy Abraham | 143 | 23% | 0.08 |
| Erling Braut Haaland | 75 | 31% | 0.18 |
Werner’s success at RB Leipzig mainly came from a two-attacking system and Haaland’s signing could also provide the struggling striker with the optimum conditions for success at Stamford Bridge.
Last season Werner excelled alongside Yousuf Poulsen and Patrick Schick, players with whom Haaland shares many traits of a traditional target man. So a partnership with Werner may be too tempting a proposition for Chelsea to pass up.
| Form | Minutes per goal or aid |
| This season | 141 |
| With Poulsen in 2019-20 | 56 |
| With Schick last season in 2019-20 | 92 |
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