Pep Guardiola has managed to deal without a pure ‘9’ in the squad for the last two seasons to use footballers more accustomed to others in that position and exploit the figure of the ‘false 9’ that he used so much and so well with Leo Messi the Barcelona.
Phil Foden, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesús, the purest striker, have been there and the truth is that City has worked very well. Not in vain, they are the highest scoring team in the Premier League, with 89 goals, two more than Liverpool, which has given them a difference of plus four in goalscoring with the ‘Reds’ that could be decisive for a title that aims to be defined on the last date.
However, City has suffered a downturn compared to other campaigns. From fighting for all the titles, to soon losing in the League Cup, in the semifinals of the FA Cup and also in the semifinals of the Champions League, in which he came close to the second consecutive final. It could be the second blank season for City since Guardiola arrived, something that hasn’t happened since the year he landed in Manchester.
To raise the level, Haaland arrives. According to the sports website “The Athletic”, the signing is done and it is a matter of time before it is announced. The financial offer that directors Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain have put on the table has been juicy enough to convince the Norwegian that his destiny is not in Real Madrid, but in Manchester.
With this signing, City acquires a man who has scored almost a goal per game in his three seasons at Borussia Dortmund, records that are reminiscent of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their prime. Guardiola finds an objective that will receive the passes of Foden, De Bruyne and Cancelo, and that will culminate the counters launched by Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.
At 21, Haaland is the most promising footballer in the world, along with Kylian Mbappé, and his departure from Borussia was a matter of time. That is why whoever was his agent, the recently deceased Mino Raiola, protected him with a termination clause in the third year of the contract of less than 80 million pounds (90 million euros).
When City activates it, it will get the forward that the team has been looking for since Sergio Agüero, the foreigner with the most goals in the history of the Premier, hit a sporting slump a couple of seasons ago due to a knee injury.
Haaland will follow in his father’s footsteps and join the Premier League, but in a very different setting. Alfie Haaland played for Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City before petrodollars. His career ended abruptly after revenge by Roy Keane, who broke his left knee in a Manchester derby. EFE
