EXCEPTIONAL
He can score with his right foot, left foot & with headers. He’s... Pep’s view on Haaland, the star he says City can’t afford
IT WAS a clumsy turn of phrase, but Pep Guardiola was simply trying to state the obvious.
“A blind guy would realise he’s a good striker,” said Guardiola, when asked about goal machine Erling Haaland.
“It’s not necessary to be a manager to realise that.”
With 49 goals in as many games for Borussia Dortmund and 10 in the Champions League this season, four more than anyone else, Haaland’s threat is glaringly evident.
He is the hottest property in world football, so much so that Dortmund have put a £150m price tag on his head, an amount which Guardiola has said City – and other clubs – cannot afford.
Tonight Guardiola will get a firsthand view of the player he wants to replace Sergio Aguero (below) at City this summer, when Haaland leads Dortmund’s attack in the first leg of their quarter-final at City.
Even though Guardiola claimed City may not buy a striker this summer because of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Haaland remains his first-choice target.
Despite Dortmund’s bullish stance and inflated valuation, they will have to accept a compromise fee this summer or accept losing Haaland for £65m next year when his release clause can be activated.
Of more immediate concern to Guardiola is how to stop Haaland wrecking
City’s Champions League dream and send them out of the competition at the quarter-final stage for the fourth year running. “I understand completely why people ask this week about Haaland, because of course he’s an exceptional striker,” said Guardiola.
“But you understand it’s not appropriate for me to talk about a player from another club.
“The only thing I can say is that he’s an exceptional striker. At his age, he’s an exceptional striker.
“The numbers speak for themselves and he’s a fantastic player – that’s all.
“He’s 20 and when that happens, it’s because he can score with the right foot, the left, on the counter-attacks, in the box, with headers.
“He’s a fantastic striker, everyone knows it. But so far the club has decided not to spend close to £100m for one player.
“Maybe in the future it’s going to happen if they decide it’s necessary to improve the team for the next five, ten years, for many reasons.”
Midfielder Rodri said concentrating all their attention on Haaland tonight could prove City’s undoing, given Dortmund have many other players who can hurt them.
“We’re not focused on only one player,” said Rodri. “Dortmund are a big team in Europe.
“They have a mix of young and experienced players and an offensive squad, so we have to be aware and try and play our game.
“The most important thing for us is to be calm and play like we’ve been playing in all the games this season.
“We have to focus on our game and this season has shown that when we do that, we have a lot of chances.”