One of the potentially biggest stories of the summer got its ending in May – Erling Haaland will be joining Manchester City. The Norwegian striker is joining the Citizens for a reported fee of $62 million, which was his release clause in Dortmund. As the dust settles over this monumental transfer, there are some that will say he should have gone elsewhere. Many clubs were interested, but Haaland ended up joining the English team. Here are three reasons why Erling Haaland made the wrong choice to join Manchester City.
3 Reasons why Haaland should not have joined Manchester City
His injury issues will be amplified in the EPL
The English Premier League is no picnic – far from it. The reason why a lot of people kept saying that Lionel Messi would never make it in the EPL is the same reason that Haaland might have issues. It is the intensity of the league and how teams play a very physical brand of football. Obviously, the Premier League has gone far away from the 80s and 90s, when the style of play of all teams was incredibly tough and fairly violent, but there are still teams that will definitely resort to cynical fouls and even outright hitting players when they cannot contain them. Thus, Erling Haaland will likely have the same treatment when he does arrive in the EPL.
Unfortunately for the Norwegian striker, his issues with physical play will be even worse. Firstly, everyone will be gunning for the man that gets a ton of hype from the media. It happens to every high-profile player that arrives in England. Secondly, Haaland has a well-documented injury history that might prove to be a problem. Man City is investing a ton of money into him and if he ends up injured for large parts of the season, it will be a disaster for the Citizens, who truly believe they are one Erling Haaland away from European glory. Thus, Haaland will need a ton of work to get to the fitness level that the Prem seeks from the players.
There were better options out there
Reportedly, Erling Haaland was also courted by the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. With all due respect to Manchester City, both of these clubs were ample opportunities for Haaland to become an absolute legend of the game. Of course, both of these Spanish clubs put together could not muster up the financial offer that City likely made, in terms of agent and player fees and weekly salary. However, he would still make some great money playing for either and he would have a chance to do it on the grandest stages of them all in football.
Choosing Manchester City means a great deal of money for Haaland, together with a chance to be the alpha in the locker room of a club where players can become bigger than the club itself. Of course, those things are not possible in Real Madrid or Barcelona, but the way in which Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are talked about and regarded is reasoning enough for any player with status aspirations to come to Spain. Now, Haaland is only 22, so a move there in the future is not ruled out, but Messi was in Barcelona since he was 16, and Ronaldo came to Madrid when he was 24. Haaland had a chance to start early on building the myth of his career, but choosing the money in City could be a move that makes him rich, but lowers his standing in the historical aspect.
City has not yet addressed their critical issues
There is one thing that both Real Madrid and Liverpool have and that Manchester City does not have, not even now that Erling Haaland is going to join them. City does not have a leader, and that is the key reason why they are out of the Champions League final. When Rodrygo scored the first goal, everyone who was in a Manchester City jersey on that field saw black and their heads dropped, leading to another goal conceded. There was no leader that could tell the players to lift their chins up and to gun for that final and that European glory they seek since 2008 when they were taken over by their current ownership group.
Haaland is a great player and possibly has the potential to be one of the best ever. However, he is not a leader. Haaland is too young and too silent on the field, in terms of communication with his teammates, to be the leader that City needs. Unfortunately for the Norwegian striker, while he will likely bag all the goals possible in all competitions, it will not be enough for Manchester City to win that coveted Champions League title. Unless a player in their locker room steps up to the plate of being able to lead his teammates and all others are ready to be led, there will be no glory in Europe for the Citizens and Erling Haaland.
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