Is Haaland the ‘last piece in the jigsaw puzzle’ for City’s UCL hopes?
News that Manchester City have turned downHaaland has left Blues fans confused and somewhat incredulous as to why the Norwegian’s value as a player was so high.
Having been presented with a list of 26 players from Premier League clubs, City and their supporters have been left stunned and bewildered to come up with a list of just five players to take to the Etihad, the majority of the options being seen as more than just “fringe” players that could be used for a loan period to a League One club with the aim of coming back.
A couple of the names on the list were of such potential that they would have suited Manchester City’s needs, but the likes of Ryan Fraser, Ryan Bennett, and Andy Delort seemed to be on the list because of the possibility they could have a long-term future at the club. The likes of Jamie Paterson, James Collins, or Danny Rose were seen as more likely to be on the list because they were more likely to bring some much needed quality to the Blues squad if they were given the opportunity to go back to their parent club.
That left Haalands name in the running as a player the City supporters must have thought would make the grade. The fact that the Blues have opted to turn down the opportunity to make a deal as good as he could have done for other top flight clubs, shows Manchester City fans that they believe that Haaland has the ability to one day prove himself to be a world class striker.
At 6ft 6in and weighing in at 19st 7lbs, Haaland has a long way to go before he starts to fill the shoes of Carlos Tevez or Robert Pires. But for Manchester City’s fans, they have just been left in no doubt about the quality of a player that will leave them better off than if he had gone to a higher level.
Although he has had the benefit of a successful loan spell with Fulham recently, Haaland is more than likely to struggle to adapt to the Championship.
The Norwegian had his first taste of the Premier League at the start of the 2011/12 season, and he scored just five goals in 38 appearances. His