Housing the greatest players in the game is all well and good when things are going to plan – as they currently are for both Manchester City and Erling Haaland.
But dealing with ambitious professionals can be difficult for any boss and high-profile transfers are a relatively common – albeit sometimes surprising – part of modern football.
Neymar’s £198million transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 – which remains a world-record fee – is arguably the most dramatic deal of the modern footballing era. While in the Premier League, Real Madrid snapped up Chelsea’s Eden Hazard in 2019 and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009, and the Blaugrana poached Liverpool trio Philippe Coutinho, Luiz Suarez and Javier Mascherano in 2018, 2014 and 2010 respectively.
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As aforementioned, Pep Guardiola and Man City have nothing to be worried about where Haaland is concerned.
But the striker’s dad Alf-Inge Haaland has made a point of telling the press on two occasions that his son will not represent the Etihad club for his entire career and will instead try his hand in another European league.
“M y impression is that he wants to demonstrate that he can win at any of the big leagues,” Alf-Inge recently told France Football. “He was in Germany for two-and-a-half years and he could do something like that in the future.
“Staying in the Premier League for three years and then going to Italy, Spain or France. There’s nothing firm about it, but it’s a possibility because Erling is capable of being a winner in any team.”
Pep Guardiola is getting the best out of Erling Haaland at Man City ( Image: Getty Images)
Borussia Dortmund sold Haaland to Man City, with the club’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl, who oversaw the £51million switch, later explaining how the saga led the player to become a “burden on the dressing room”.
Kehl told German publication Sport Bild: “As much as we always loved Haaland and he was successful with us, in the end, he became a burden on the dressing room, the club and the whole environment.
“He had become the subject of every conversation. Outside the club, almost everything was exclusively focused on him. In the end, the timing of the transfer was right for both parties. And we are all happy for Erling that he continues to be so successful.”
Guardiola has managed at the very highest level for his entire career at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Man City and knows how to govern high profiles and big egos.
