Erling Haaland Linked with Barcelona Move as Questions Emerge Over His Future at Man City
The supporters cheered him on with jubilant chants of “ten more years, ten more years Erling Haaland” in reference to his long-term contract after his brilliant solo goal, his 12th of the season in nine games secured all three points against Brentford.
They were undoubtedly aware of, perhaps even concerned about—just where they might be without him.
“I’ve never felt better than I do now,” Haaland said after the game, giving credit to his child for what he believes is the best form of his life as they let him “disconnect” from football.
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As he saw his “proper goal” return, he was beaming from ear to ear and gave Sepp van den Berg more credit for the assist than Josko Gvardiol, who actually provided it, after the Brentford centre-back made the error of waking the beast.
“I believe it helps me because I was a little worn out before the game and thought it would be difficult. He then began pushing me after ten seconds, which inspired me. He truly inspired me to achieve it, therefore I have nothing but praise for him.”
We would rarely, if ever, see Haaland bully opponents as he did the Brentford defenders on Sunday, Monaco’s on Wednesday, and most others he’s had the chance to noogie into submission this season.
The victory over Brentford was proof, if it was still necessary, that The Real Erling Haaland is back, but it was equally damning of his teammates’ and possibly his manager’s failure to follow him on that path to redemption.
That thing, whether it be bravado, peak physical fitness, a work-life balance, or probably a combination of many things, was absent last season.
As with about 200 of his other victories, it appeared that Pep Guardiola’s 250th Premier League title would be won in a similar fashion: City wins; they pass the opposition to death; they score multiple goals against fatigued legs.
However, that city is not this one. Though Phil Foden’s comeback has received a lot of attention, he and Tiijani Reijnders were both incredibly wasteful and need a lot of effort to prove that they even remotely resemble Kevin De Bruyne.
Something akin to panic struck when Brentford basically recalled that this isn’t the City of two years ago, and City was unable to grab that safety net as their other backup, Rodri, hobbled off the pitch.
Guardiola claims that City is “better” than they were the previous season and that there has been progress, but he may have taken the old saying that “football is won in both boxes” a bit too literally when he named Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma as “important pieces.”
Right now, the two are both literally and figuratively far superior to their comrades. Haaland must also sense that. When Haaland came, Rodri, De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, and many more were at the top of their game and helped them win the triple.
As the last component of a puzzle, the striker was frequently cited as a liability, with questions like “Are City better without Haaland?” and similar ones.
He is currently City’s star player and may be their sole elite player. At one point, Guardiola called Tottenham “the Harry Kane team.” Erling Haaland’s Manchester City is now his team.
How much longer, though? The contract he signed in January stated nine years, but it’s really a contract schmontract.
According to reports, he has become Joan Laporta’s “obsession.” When Robert Lewandowski’s contract with Barcelona expires in the summer, Laporta will likely be looking for a No. 9.
A second straight potless season, or even one without the Premier League or Champions League, might make Haaland itchy in his inevitable Golden Boot(s), even though we assume there is nothing more he would want after signing that incredible deal than to stay at City and win the major trophies his talent deserves.
