Manchester City has officially confirmed the signing of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland for a transfer fee of £51 million ($63m). A lack of proper striker cost Manchester City a spot in the Champions League final this year, as their forwards were unable to seize the goal-scoring opportunities. Erling Haaland ‘s move could bring on a change.
So, can Haaland end Man City’s Champions League woes? His stats in the tournament is nothing short of extraordinary. Since making his Champions League debut in 2019, Erling Haaland has scored 23 goals in the next three years. In his first year in the competition, the then 18-year-old striker netted eight times. He is also the first player in the history of the tournament to score more than one goal on four successive occasions.
Further, only Mbappe has reached 10 goals in fewer games than Haaland, while Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski have scored more goals than the 21-year-old across the last three seasons. But Haaland has averaged just 64 minutes per goal, which is second to none. He is already the highest-scoring Norwegian in the competition, and this is just the beginning of his career.
Why Is Erling Haaland’s Move A Big Concern For Premier League Clubs?
In the ongoing season, Erling Haaland has found the back of the net on 23 occasions in 20 games. Last month, he scored a terrific hat-trick in Borussia Dortmund’s 4-3 defeat to VFL Bochum. But his most memorable performance for Dortmund came on his debut, when he scored three goals from the first three shots to complete a hat-trick inside 25 minutes. It took him only 25 matches to reach 25 goals.
In Premier League, Haaland will have to face a new challenge, as teams rarely play with a high-line, thus offering very little space for the strikers to exploit. Adapting to the fast-paced nature of the game is another challenge, and many players who had successful career elsewhere has failed in the Premier League. Timo Werner is the most recent example of a Bundesliga star struggling to acclimatise to the Premier League conditions.
But as per Comparisonator, the data analysis platform that allows you to compare players across the world by adjusting the differences in the quality of different leagues, Haaland will still be a deadly proposition for Manchester City’s opponents.
Haaland’s average of 0.98 goals per 90 minutes is significantly better than his nearest competitors, Liverpool’s Diogo Jota (0.61) and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy (0.60).
Further, in terms of shots on target per 90 minutes, Erling Haaland averages 1.79, which is marginally better than even Cristiano Ronaldo (1.71).
Haaland’s goal-scoring rate will only improve under Pep Guardiola, who knows how to get the best out of his player. Further, the striker will have the support of creative outlets like Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.
