Man City signed Erling Haaland for just £51.2 million in the 2022 summer and many fans like you wonder why the star striker was so cheap especially because of his quality and consistent goal-scoring ability.
Erling Haaland is on fire! He is currently on a roll and has become one of the Premier League’s most feared strikers in just a few short months. The Norwegian has not only helped Manchester City gain the treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup, but this doesn’t go on to explain why Haaland was so cheap.
In his first season at City, he scored 52 goals in 53 matches and propelled City to an astonishing treble.
In this article, we will be examining why Haaland was so cheap during the time he was bought by Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund.
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3 Reasons Why Haaland Was So Cheap
Earling Haaland is currently valued at €180.00m on Transfermarkt, but earlier in May, City signed the striker, beating Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, for only €60 million ($64 million).
There are a few reasons as to why the current terror of the English Premier League was priced so low after scoring 86 goals in 89 appearances for Borussia Dortmund. They include:
1. Haaland’s Release Clause
Haaland had a release clause in his contract with Borussia Dortmund that was active from July 1, 2022. This release clause spelt out that any club could sign him for £60 million, regardless of his contract length or performance.
Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke in April 2022, revealed the reason why Erling £60 million release clause was included in his contract.
According to him, the Norwegian striker signed for the German team in January 2020 after leaving Red Bull Salzburg, but he was on the verge of signing Manchester United when they abruptly dropped out.
This happened when United refused to include a release provision in Haaland’s contract, which allowed Dortmund the opportunity to sign him.
Watzke told 19:09 Talk that, “first of all, we have to know that we need a new Erling Haaland.”
“In the end, the truth is that we gave him a release clause, otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United. He has to make a decision; it will come at some point.”
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2. Haaland’s Injury Record
Haaland has been injured quite a bit in recent years. This has raised some concerns about his long-term fitness.
Due to groin issues, Haaland missed his nation’s Euro 2024 qualifying matches in March.
Haaland sustained a number of injuries while playing for Borussia Dortmund that sidelined him for more than a month. The Norwegian sniper, who frequently dealt with muscle and hip flexor difficulties, missed 16 games in 21/22 due to his absence.
He had an injury in the previous season, missing 10 games once more because of muscle issues. As it had done previously in 19/20 following his arrival at Dortmund, a knee problem also caused him to sit out.
During his breakthrough season with RB Salzburg, he further experienced minor knee issues and muscle strains. The fact that such a gifted 22-year-old has had so many injuries is not welcoming to any club that wants to put pen on paper for his signature. This also affected why Manchester City spent such a low amount of money to acquire him.
3. Manchester City’s dire need for a striker
Manchester City has been looking for a striker to replace Sergio Aguero since he left the club in 2021.
They had tried many combinations to get that potent arrowhead and a few strikers, but none was good enough. They saw promise in Haaland and decided to pay the sum of £60 million which is not too much, but still a big amount of money. We can say that their gamble paid off as the golden boy is one of the best strikers in the world and he would be a perfect fit for City.
These three points sum up why Haaland was so cheap at his signing into Manchester City. To top it up, let us check out…
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Why Haaland Is now the most feared striker in the EPL
Here are some of the reasons why Haaland has become so feared in the Premier League:
1. His goalscoring record: Haaland has a phenomenal goalscoring record. He has scored 86 goals in 89 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, and he has also scored 10 goals in 15 appearances for Norway. Now he has 58 goals in 59 matches for Manchester City. Talk about high performance.
2. His movement: Haaland is very good at moving in and around the box. He is always looking for space, and he is always a threat to score. Safe to say, he is as unpredictable to many defenders and goalkeepers as one can be; and as slippery as a fish covered in slime.
3. His mentality: Haaland has a very strong mentality. He is never afraid to take on defenders, and he never gives up. That is one key ingredient to have as a world-class striker.
4. His physical presence: Haaland is a very physical striker. He is tall and strong, and he is difficult to stop in the air or on the ground. Many a time, his figure is enough to strike fear into the heart of any wary defender or goalkeeper.
5. His finishing ability: Haaland has an incredible finishing ability. He is clinical in front of goal, and he rarely misses a chance. Talk about a sniper in front of the goal.
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Conclusion
As mentioned before, Man City signed Erling Halaand for just €60 million and one of the major reasons why he was so cheap was because of the release clause in his Dortmund contract.
Now that we have checked out the reason why Haaland was so cheap, we can only hope that he continues to perform as well as he has – if not better, we also hope that he will have a better release clause when he leaves Manchester City that will be both financially beneficial to him and the club.
