Erling Haaland

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sun_tzu said:
Possibly... think it depends if Madrid can finance him and mbappe?

If not then I think city are probably the next most likley

After that a few clubs as potential (but unlikely )destinations... psg, bayern, chelsea... us if we get cl football perhaps?

A few weeks ago I wasn't that bothered as we had rashford Greenwood sancho for the best part of next decade

As it is now yeah we probably do have a bigger need for him... but for him I doubt we are more than a back up in the unlikely event Madrid or City won't pay crazy wages (spoiler... they will)
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United need a striker or winger or both.

Rashford is on the same path as Martial, great physical and technical conditions but mentally weak and low iq.

Greenwood will have to wait as the extra-sporting issue ends.

And Sancho is having difficulty, at the moment, to adapt to the premier. He is young and with great qualities but we will have to wait.
 
Madrid would be foolish to add Haaland to their team. They need a front 3 that is comfortable interchanging amongst each other and at least one in the front 3 (Benzema/Rodrygo/Asensio) capable of dropping deep to play as an attacking midfielder and link up play with the other front 2.

Haaland is closer to Zlatan/Lewandowski/Aguero rather than Suarez/Vinicius in the sense that he only plays in the middle third (column-wise). Don't think they should spoil the balance of the team.
Next season their front 3 should be:
Vinicius/Rodrygo/Asensio/Mbappe -----------------Mbappe/Benzema
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Benzema/Asensio/Rodrygo/Vazquez

They should obviously look to sell off Jovic/Hazard/deadwood.
 
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Niemans said:
United need a striker or winger or both.

Rashford is on the same path as Martial, great physical and technical conditions but mentally weak and low iq.

Greenwood will have to wait as the extra-sporting issue ends.

And Sancho is having difficulty, at the moment, to adapt to the premier. He is young and with great qualities but we will have to wait.
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Not really stand out technically.
 
NoPace said:
It'll be awkward with Benzema and Mbappe, though. Does Mbappe want to play on the right for the next 10 years?

City should probably break the bank on Haaland. Their only other big squads needs are a new backup DM for Rodri to replace Fernandinho and selling Zinchenko and replacing him with a proper LB, which shouldn't cost more than 20M to upgrade as there's no obvious 60M LB type to buy even since Bayern aren't selling Davies for even 90M I don't think, and he doesn't seem interested in leaving. If they don't win the CL again that might change things for them too.
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Benzema is on his last couple of years now, his tenure at Madrid has been nothing short of extraordinary, and he still has a lot to give, but he's 34 and Madrid isn't the sentimental place to let players live out their golden years as starters. Mbappe is not going to Real Madrid to play on the right wing, it will be either Vinicius that's shifted to the right, or maybe he plays up front but he's not a CF, and he would have to be given a lot of freedom to operate.

This is what makes the Madrid move strange, now that Vinicius is finally realizing the amazing potential people saw in him, to bring in Mbappe would have to stifle his development because they operate best in the same spaces. This is also why Haaland and Mbappe, as much as I dislike seeing the two best talents of their age group joining teams, would work. Haaland is a pure CF, whereas Mbappe is an LF who can play CF if needed but you lose a lot of what makes him great if he only touches the ball the same amount as a guy like Haaland.

If Vinicius is able to switch to the RW, then the moves make sense and they should try and go for both Haaland and Mbappe, regardless of Benzema. However if that's not possible, I can't see Mbappe coming to Madrid to be on the RW, he's past that stage of his career where he comes into a club and adapts to them instead of them adapting to him. And with Haaland, there's no other place than CF for him so if not this summer, then next one Madrid may go in for him as a replacement for Benzema because Mbappe and Benz already are developing a good understanding with France. It's not certain that Haaland leaves Dortmund if the options presented aren't what he's looking for. He's still young and is in a great environment for his skill-set.
 
Sayros said:
Benzema is on his last couple of years now, his tenure at Madrid has been nothing short of extraordinary, and he still has a lot to give, but he's 34 and Madrid isn't the sentimental place to let players live out their golden years as starters. Mbappe is not going to Real Madrid to play on the right wing, it will be either Vinicius that's shifted to the right, or maybe he plays up front but he's not a CF, and he would have to be given a lot of freedom to operate.

This is what makes the Madrid move strange, now that Vinicius is finally realizing the amazing potential people saw in him, to bring in Mbappe would have to stifle his development because they operate best in the same spaces. This is also why Haaland and Mbappe, as much as I dislike seeing the two best talents of their age group joining teams, would work. Haaland is a pure CF, whereas Mbappe is an LF who can play CF if needed but you lose a lot of what makes him great if he only touches the ball the same amount as a guy like Haaland.

If Vinicius is able to switch to the RW, then the moves make sense and they should try and go for both Haaland and Mbappe, regardless of Benzema. However if that's not possible, I can't see Mbappe coming to Madrid to be on the RW, he's past that stage of his career where he comes into a club and adapts to them instead of them adapting to him. And with Haaland, there's no other place than CF for him so if not this summer, then next one Madrid may go in for him as a replacement for Benzema because Mbappe and Benz already are developing a good understanding with France. It's not certain that Haaland leaves Dortmund if the options presented aren't what he's looking for. He's still young and is in a great environment for his skill-set.
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I could definitely see Mbappe coming to Madrid and knowing he'll play RW for a year or 2 with his buddy Benz, then replace him as the 9, which probably makes as he gets stronger but no faster in his mid 20s. Then Madrid buy a RW or Rodrigo becomes a star.

Haaland seems so set on getting the right move based on everything he did in signing for Dortmund that even Pep's experience with Ibra and knowing he'll want a false 9 in some games may scare him. Greenwood being gone might make us a contender though, we're probably not good enough.

I could really see Barcelona. He'll get to play with some lovely young creators in Gavi, Pedri, De Jong and Nico, they look likely to be back in the CL next year and he'll be a club hero when he gets them back La Liga.
 
ThierryHenry14 said:
If Pep can work with Lewandowski, why not Haaland?
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Lewandowski is a complete striker. Was always one. I can't think of a single weakness in his game.

Pep and Klopp generally don't like the traditional, out and out strikers. But both of them like Lewandowski because he enhances the buildup rather than hindering it. Have seen him play at number 10 for Poland too due to no service.

Haaland is extremely limited compared to that. He's not Pep's idea of a striker at all. He's much better suited to a counter attacking team where he has space and can run in behind(like those Jamie Vardy runs). Dortmund's style of play is tailor made for Erling.

Teams literally park the bus and play a low block against City. Haaland won't fit in at all. You'll see another Grealish situation: underwhelming.
 
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Sayros said:
This is what makes the Madrid move strange, now that Vinicius is finally realizing the amazing potential people saw in him, to bring in Mbappe would have to stifle his development because they operate best in the same spaces.
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They don't. Vini is a wide player, Mbappé more of an inside left/half-channel player. The only reason those two and Halaand/Benzema couldn't play together would be a poor coach
 
Hopefully City or Madrid get the deal done soon so haaland talk can be put to bed.
 
golden_blunder said:
Why only 65m for Haaland? That will only buy 1 leg
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seems to me @giorno is counting yearly costs (which is what the smart people do to be fair, not me).

Mbappe comes on a free and earns 50m yearly.
Haaland costs 75m (15 per year over 5 years) and earns a generous 40m too.
The other wages are saved.

It's a correct calculation, no?

Of course that means that the overall surplus cost is not 55m, but 5*55m i.e. 275m €.
These have to be some 'couple of sales'. Don't think Ascensio is going to bring that much.
 
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Real Madrid has enough salary margin to sign Mbappe and Haaland and more when the new Bernabéu is finished.
There would also have to be added the mbappe signing bonus and the commissions to Haaland's agents.
In total it could be a cost of €25M a year for 5 years.
 
Haaland is playing yesterday against Boro, he scores a brace at least. He's the type of clinical finisher this team is badly needing.
 
giorno said:
They don't. Vini is a wide player, Mbappé more of an inside left/half-channel player. The only reason those two and Halaand/Benzema couldn't play together would be a poor coach
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So you’re either going to have no right wing, or you’re going to abandon the 3 in midfield and have only 2. Which is it?
 
Why are people so convinced he will go to Real Madrid? Every time I have heard him speak about other leagues, it always seems to be about the Premier League.
 
Real always horde the worlds best players. I predict Haaland signing for them and ending up either being loaned or benched.
 
giorno said:
They don't. Vini is a wide player, Mbappé more of an inside left/half-channel player. The only reason those two and Halaand/Benzema couldn't play together would be a poor coach
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Is Vini really a wide player? Sure he operates there but he's still far more of an inside left than a winger, at least this season from what I've been watching (and granted, it hasn't been too much so feel free to correct me). Also who will be on the right wing? How about the midfield formation? Right now, I can only see a 4-2-2-2 where that works with all these players, because I can't see Mbappe coming in to Madrid to be on the right side, I just don't think that's going to happen and it's really the best solution for Madrid to keep everybody at their best position (except for Mbappe who's supposed to be the Madrid's man).

I'm sure there's ways to make it work, but it's not exactly a seamless fit like Haaland simply replacing Benzema.
 
NYAS said:
So you’re either going to have no right wing, or you’re going to abandon the 3 in midfield and have only 2. Which is it?
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3 defenders, 3 mids, 4 forwards in attack, two banks of 4 in defence
 
Sayros said:
Is Vini really a wide player? Sure he operates there but he's still far more of an inside left than a winger, at least this season from what I've been watching (and granted, it hasn't been too much so feel free to correct me). Also who will be on the right wing? How about the midfield formation? Right now, I can only see a 4-2-2-2 where that works with all these players, because I can't see Mbappe coming in to Madrid to be on the right side, I just don't think that's going to happen and it's really the best solution for Madrid to keep everybody at their best position (except for Mbappe who's supposed to be the Madrid's man).

I'm sure there's ways to make it work, but it's not exactly a seamless fit like Haaland simply replacing Benzema.
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Vini is a hug-the-touchline wide player. He prefers cutting inside rather than going for the goal line, but still. He and Mbappé absolutely don't have to operate in the same area and can play together just fine. Mbappé is more of a second striker anyways, can operate anywhere and you want to give him freedom to roam

Formation, bah. We need a CB and ideally a RWB. Anyways, Alaba-Militao-CB(Rudiger), Kroos-2 of Valverde/Camavinga/Casemiro, Vini-Mbappé-Halaand-RWB(Carvajal)
 
giorno said:
Vini is a hug-the-touchline wide player. He prefers cutting inside rather than going for the goal line, but still. He and Mbappé absolutely don't have to operate in the same area and can play together just fine. Mbappé is more of a second striker anyways, can operate anywhere and you want to give him freedom to roam

Formation, bah. We need a CB and ideally a RWB. Anyways, Alaba-Militao-CB(Rudiger), Kroos-2 of Valverde/Camavinga/Casemiro, Vini-Mbappé-Halaand-RWB(Carvajal)
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Mendy and Karim?
 
giorno said:
Mendy would be Alaba's backup, Karim is the reason why Haaland shouldn't necessarily be a priority. But then again it's probably now or never so...
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Could you possibly see Benzema in a 4231 behind Haaland? I could imagine him playing that position similar to Müller at Bayern, but you surely have a better insight?
 
stefan92 said:
Could you possibly see Benzema in a 4231 behind Haaland? I could imagine him playing that position similar to Müller at Bayern, but you surely have a better insight?
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Doesn't have Muller's off ball and defensive presence and intensity. Don't think we could get away with playing Benzema-Haaland-Mbappé-Vini together
 
giorno said:
3 defenders, 3 mids, 4 forwards in attack, two banks of 4 in defence
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Well, that’s just not going to happen.

To be honest it seems like because Papa Perez has been teasing you guys with Mbappe for years, everyone had made their mind up that Vini was just another random Brazilian flop and that Mbappe would replace him. Now after Vini’s glow-up, you know slotting in Mbappe isn’t as seamless as it would have been but you can’t let go of the Mbappe fantasy so you end up conjuring some sort of 3-3-4 formation.

Mbappe’s coming, but I think it’ll spell the beginning of the end of Vini at Madrid unless he‘s willing and able to transition into a right winger.
 
NYAS said:
Well, that’s just not going to happen.
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Guardiola routinely plays a 3-2-5, Bayern play a 3-2-5, Liverpool play a 2-2-3-3. Don't see what's hard about a 3-3-4. Just needs a good manager
 
giorno said:
Mendy would be Alaba's backup, Karim is the reason why Haaland shouldn't necessarily be a priority. But then again it's probably now or never so...
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When the Rudiger rumors appeared, I also thought of 3 defenders, and it would be a way to be to accommodate Karim in a 3331 with him positioned a little behind, but I am not sure if it's too realistic.
 
TenonTen said:
Haaland is extremely limited compared to that. He's not Pep's idea of a striker at all. He's much better suited to a counter attacking team where he has space and can run in behind(like those Jamie Vardy runs). Dortmund's style of play is tailor made for Erling.
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Dortmund isn't a count attacking team at all. They play possession based football and rarely take the counter. It's almost like they've completely stopped playing in behind lately. Haaland still scores though. No wonder since he's the best striker in the world.
 
Magz said:
Dortmund isn't a count attacking team at all. They play possession based football and rarely take the counter. It's almost like they've completely stopped playing in behind lately. Haaland still scores though. No wonder since he's the best striker in the world.
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Currently, Haaland is probably not even better than Benzema.

Forget about being better than Lewandowski. :lol:
 
TenonTen said:
Currently, Haaland is probably not even better than Benzema.

Forget about being better than Lewandowski. :lol:
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Haaland is definitely better than Benzema and it's not close. The Norweigan's goals + assists production per game completely blows Benzema's numbers out of the water in comparison. Haaland is an undisputed starter for Madrid if he ever joins them because he's a clear upgrade of Benzema, it's why Perez is determained to sign Haaland.

As for Lewandowski, I do think the Pole is better than Haaland but the slighest & thinniest margin. Their stats per game are almost equal despite Haaland plays in a much worse team.
 
Hearing Madrid's dropped out to make sure they get Mbappe. Which is weird, because I think Haaland would work better for them considering Vinicius' rise.

One thing's for sure, both can't be on the same team. It just doesn't work.
 
He seems to pick up a lot of niggling injuries and a lot of muscular issues.
Could that be an issue for his career?
 
I reckon this ‘dropping out’ story is the first move of Madrid working on the fee. Haaland’s agent is disliked by United and personally by Guardiola so I believe his options are shrinking. The fee requested by the agent and Haaland’s Dad even are a disgrace. Still think he’ll end up in Spain. Why would he want to come to a shitshow like United are just now?
 
Champ said:
He seems to pick up a lot of niggling injuries and a lot of muscular issues.
Could that be an issue for his career?
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It’s not uncommon for a player of his age, especially one playing as much as he does. He might grow out of it as his body matures and he might not. There’s honestly no way of knowing at this point.
 
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