Revealed: Why Chelsea and Real Madrid turned down the chance to sign Erling Haaland
Manchester City announced the signing of Erling Haaland on Tuesday evening, revealing that they had agreed to pay the release clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract.
He will move to the Etihad this summer, earning wages thought to be around £375,000 per week in the process, and Pep Guardiola and co. will be hoping that he can fire them to an elusive Champions League trophy.
‘Manchester City can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022’, the club revealed.
Manchester City can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022.
The transfer remains subject to the Club finalising terms with the player.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 10, 2022
But, it was somewhat odd that the man who was supposed to be at the centre of a transfer frenzy ended up having his future decided so tamely and quietly. And now, ESPN have revealed why.
Why Chelsea and Real Madrid turned down Haaland
Now, as per ESPN’s ‘sources’, Chelsea chose not to pursue him amid concerns that his style of play may not be suited to the Premier League. When asked to elaborate, they revealed that this was because ‘there’s less space for forward players to attack and run into, compared with the Bundesliga.’
Chelsea, of course, have learned this lesson the hard way, with Timo Werner excelling in Germany but having struggled since his big money move to Stamford Bridge, with 23 goals in 89 games for the Blues.
MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 12: Timo Werner of Chelsea FC celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two match between Real Madrid and Chelsea FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 12, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
But, Chelsea were not alone in their reservations. The report continues that ‘recruitment staff at Barcelona reported back that they had reservations about his personality and character. Real Madrid, according to sources, took issue with his injury record — he’s missed 17 club games this season mainly because of muscular problems — although there’s an acceptance from the Spanish club that it didn’t put them off completely.’
It could be a decision that all parties come to regret.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 35 | 68 | 86 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 35 | 39 | 67 |
| 4 | Arsenal FC | 35 | 14 | 66 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 35 | 20 | 62 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 37 | 1 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 36 | 11 | 55 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 35 | 1 | 50 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 36 | -4 | 47 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 35 | 4 | 44 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 35 | -1 | 43 |
| 12 | Brentford FC | 36 | -8 | 43 |
| 13 | Newcastle United | 36 | -21 | 43 |
| 14 | Leicester City | 34 | -7 | 42 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 36 | -20 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 34 | -19 | 35 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 35 | -17 | 34 |
| 18 | Leeds United | 35 | -35 | 34 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 35 | -38 | 22 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 35 | -53 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 12 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 10 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 8 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 8 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
