Will Erling Haaland Make Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City The Perfect Team?

One way or another, it was always likely that Erling Haaland would end up in Manchester. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led Manchester United’s pursuit of the Norwegian striker in late 2019 only for Haaland to join Borussia Dortmund instead. Now, though, Haaland is looking ahead to a future as a Manchester City player.

Haaland has signed a five-year deal with the Premier
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League table-toppers, ending a transfer saga that had linked every elite European club with the 21-year-old. The Norwegian’s links to City – his father Alf-Inge Haaland played for the club – gave the Etihad Stadium outfit an advantage in negotiations. Their financial resources didn’t harm their chances of landing Haaland either.

Pep Guardiola will still have to integrate Haaland into his team. The Catalan coach has built a finely tuned side over the last six years and City have become accustomed to playing without a recognised number nine. This striker-less system has brought the best out of the likes of Kevin e Bruyne and Phil Foden.

Ideologically, there could be some detachment between Manchester City’s style of play and Haaland’s profile as a centre forward. While Guardiola’s team play a possession-heavy game, their new Norwegian striker is most effective when he has space to burst into. He might not find much of this as a City player.

Nonetheless, the Etihad Stadium feels like the right place for Haaland at this stage of his career. At Manchester City, the 21-year-old will be surrounded by some of the best players in the world. He will have a team structure around him that will support and sustain him. City are building something to last decades, not just years.

“The players who come here don’t come to play for me, they come to play in this league and for this club,” said Guardiola when asked whether Haaland had chosen to sign for City to play for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss. “It’s so important the people [fans], the way we play, the team we are, the city, where we are in the league, how we are expected to play in the Champions League the next seasons. Many things are involved.

“People come not just for a month or a year. Sergio [Aguero] came here and did 10 years, David Silva came here and did 10 years and Vincent [Kompany, actually 11] the same and Yaya Touré [eight years]. Many important players arrive here and stay a long time. How long depends if they are happy here. What we do is make them feel happy in the city, in the locker room, playing in the Premier League and many things. After that, who knows what will happen. But this is the idea.”

Natural goalscorers are hard to find and Haaland is one of the best produced for a long time. City pursued Harry Kane last summer, but have made a decision focused on the long-term by signing Haaland instead this year. Guardiola’s team is already one of the best in the sport. With Haaland leading the line, they might be uncatchable.