What Happens If Erling Haaland Decides To Leave Manchester City This Summer?

Not even a full year has passed since Erling Haaland joined Manchester City and there is already speculation about the Norwegian’s future at the Etihad Stadium. Recent reports claim Real Madrid are weighing up a move for Haaland with Paris Saint-Germain also believed to be monitoring the situation ahead of the summer transfer window.

Haaland was signed to be City’s new frontman last summer, but even as he joined from Borussia Dortmund there was a sense he might not be at the club for long. Indeed, Haaland had only been in the Premier
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League for a few months when his father – Alf-Inge Haaland – spoke about his son’s desire to play in other leagues.

“I think Erling wants to prove his abilities in all leagues,” he said in a documentary focused on Haaland’s decision to join City. “Then he can stay there [Manchester City] for three or four years at the most. He could be, for example, two-and-a-half years in Germany, two-and-a-half years in England and then in Spain, Italy, France, right?”

Despite scoring an incredible 42 goals for Manchester City in all competitions this season, questions have been asked over Haaland’s wider role in Pep Guardiola’s team. The 22-year-old might be the sharpest finisher of his generation, but he is lacking in terms of his possession play. On the ball, he is limited.

This is something of an issue for a City team that likes to suffocate opponents through their use of possession. What’s more, Guardiola’s team have been easier to play through this season with Haaland not so effective in the way he presses from the front. Haaland has been an individual superstar, but Manchester City haven’t necessarily been stronger for his addition.

Of course, this isn’t to say City will want to sell Haaland this summer, but any interest in their Norwegian number nine would present them with a crossroads. How content are they with Haaland’s overall contribution beyond his goal-scoring numbers? Could they be even stronger for selling him on and re-investing the money in a more rounded replacement?

Finding strikers with the natural goal-scoring instincts of Haaland is exceptionally difficult and so Manchester City should appreciate what they have in the Norwegian. At the same time, though, the Premier League champions must have a contingency plan for the striker’s exit, whether that happens this summer or at some other point in the future.