One of the hottest prospects of the footballing world, Red Bull Salzburg’s 19-year-old Norwegian striker Erling Haaland has made his decision of his future club. Reportedly being chased by plenty of big Premier League clubs, such as Manchester United, as well as Italian side Juventus among others, the young gun has set his sights on joining Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund has grown a reputation of nurturing young talent as well as giving an opportunity to play in the highest stages of Europe in the Champions League, but Haaland’s choice came as a surprise to many.
Haaland broke through from the start of his first full season at Salzburg, after arriving from Norwegian side FK Molde – where he was coached by current Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – on January 2019. This season he has banged in 16 goals and added six assists in Austrian Bundesliga, while showing his proficiency in the European level as well by hitting the net eight times in six games in the Champions League. Joining Dortmund is a logical step for the player, who is yet to play a full season in one of European top leagues. The decision by the player has been touted as mature and wise, since sitting on a bench in one of the major clubs in Europe might hinder his ongoing development.
Dortmund only had to pay in the region of 20M€ for the striker, as the release clause in his contract allowed a move to bigger league for that amount. His deal with Dortmund will last until 2024, but if he is improving with the pace we’ve seen it won’t be long the bigger clubs come knocking with a boatload of cash. Meanwhile, Dortmund is challenging for the title in Bundesliga and taking on PSG in the Champions League first knockout stage. Their current talisman Jadon Sancho is rumored to be on his way out in the summer, with most major clubs showing interest and his big boots are to be filled by the young Norwegian.
Haaland will fit the current Dormund lineup like a glove, with manager Lucien Favre only having one true striker in his squad in Paco Alcacer, who has been suffering from knee injury. While Mario Götze has taken on the central forward role, he has only scored three goals so far and can be utilized elsewhere on the pitch as well. It seems that Haaland’s choice makes perfect sense and it won’t be the last we hear from the Norwegian hotshot.
