Erling Haaland | Dortmund player

Prometheus

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I was hoping for a greater meltdown in this thread after that performance. Wasted my popcorn.
 

croadyman

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Still holding out feint hopes that he might sign for Utd in a few years after absolutely tearing it up in Germany, however my gut feeling is that we have missed the boat on this one and just have to get over it
 

croadyman

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Yeah although it seems United had an agreement from Haaland but Raiola got involved and that changed.

Can't help but feel there's bad feeling from that. That Athletic article is interesting stating Solskjaer and co met with Haaland and he agreed to come - Raiola was not present. Then a short time later he got involved and things seemed to change.
If that really in the case then my hate for this Italian snake has got even higher, sickening to see him ripping it up somewhere else when it should have been at Utd but no Mino decided to stick his nose in and turn Erling against us.
 

Bebestation

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Still holding out feint hopes that he might sign for Utd in a few years after absolutely tearing it up in Germany, however my gut feeling is that we have missed the boat on this one and just have to get over it
If he can keep it up & he still wants to try out the PL like he said he did - I think he does because he grew up here, I don't see many clubs except Us, City & Liverpool that he could join. I don't think Liverpool to be honest but I just have to mention them due to them being a big club.

I know it's wishful thinking - but honestly, the fact that the transfer broke through with so much hype gives me even a stronger indication that he joins us one day much like Pogba did & say "guess whose back - type of thing". That or city due to the family thing with them probably needing to replace aguero & Jesus themselves.

For me - I'd say United fans shouldn't be too sad about Haaland not being with us right now because whilst it's not guaranteed - it's not like he's Messi with loyalty to La Liga.
 
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amolbhatia50k

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According to The Athletic, he agreed to join United until a last minute change of heart. And it's no secret that he's a fan of playing in the PL someday.
Not sure if that's true given the papers get many things wrong. But it's possibly that the change of heart is something that wasn't in our side of the court.
 

Ace of Spades

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Think it is such a shame that Haaland has that snake Raiola as his agent,feel like if it was someone else then maybe we would have signed him.
He is not his agent, he only helped in the deal last I checked. His agent is somone else, but not sure if that changed.
 

Bebestation

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He is exactly what we could have used. When does his clause kick in ??
If Dortmund had to choose between selling for 60 mil in 2 seasons time & 120 mil in 1 seasons time what would they choose in your opinion? Just as a philophilical question?
 

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The thing that continues to stand out with him is the relentless and drive for, and toward, goal - it's not often you pick up on that, even with prolific goalscorers. I see him being compared to numerous goalscorers of yore, but there's not really a match for him because his attributes are freakish, but that centred focus on driving toward threatening positioning, the hissy fits, the pouting, the obsession with scoring again and again: RVN, C.Ronaldo and perhaps Inzaghi come to mind for the same kind of physical desire and remonstrations.

I don't think the comparisons to other strikers match for the simple reason that if you watch Haaland, is quite clumsy and his game is not complete, or at least tidy, so mentioning the likes of Vieri, Adriano and so forth isn't a match. Vieri and Adriano both had sublime striking technique to the point it was known you don't give either even a moment to draw back their left foot whilst they had a sight on goal - this was assured and predictable striking from both of them. Haaland is not like that and on top of the above, would be more likely to drive towards goal than strike the ball from distance. Adriano is not a match with Vieri, also in that he was a juggernaut who could run wherever he wanted irrespective of markers or tracking pressure specifically because of his power and speed. Vieri had the power, Haaland has some of the speed but neither have the combination of both that compares to Adriano, who, as @giorno stated, scared defenders on and off the ball and had multiple men scrambling towards his general area of the pitch, one usually to try and face him head on, and one or two trying desperately to sweep up behind the first man. That's not applicable to Haaland who, in the first instance, is going to be trying to run away from the ball and into the box as an instinct and requires more tracking by able runners than concern he's going to get on the ball and take a crack at goal, from any distance, as soon as he has a chance to.

Haaland has the kind of pace the likes of Inzaghi and Van Nistlerooy did not, but the mindset he has is more remniscent of these types - the foxes in the box, but he has nowhere near RVN's technical acumen, but neither is he as bereft as Inzaghi, so again, the matching process falls short pretty quickly, but for sure, his innate instincts to make the runs he does and slip markers with doubled movements is much more remniscent of these kind of forwards than the type who are a threat (via shooting) further from goal like the aforementioned or a Shearer, C.Ronaldo etc.

Seems to me he is a hybrid - an amalgamation of a fair few who have gone before, which is why different people are seeing different things they identify in his game and compare favourably to what has gone before. He's an oddity and unique - a very interesting striker to analyse especially so with the desire he displays on a game by game basis.

I'm pretty sure whatever he is now, he'll be more than a few years down the line. As stated, he is clumsy, or at least unrefined in aspects of his play, but at the same time, he shows glimpses of what might become intrinsic to his game in the future. Things like: lay offs into to turns and drives for the return ball; 1-touch into spins/splits away from the ball; tight control and hold-up. He does them fleetingly a the moment, and in the very same game can let basic things slip or flub them. There is abundant room for growth, which is to be expected when talking about 19-year old strikers not named Ronaldo or Kluivert.

What I like the most about him is the mentality, not only to score goals or drive forward, but to work his centrebacks over and over again, which, slowly but surely fatigues the mind just as much as the body and leads to mistakes and panic as Haaland's runs accumulate. It might be seen as pointless to run forward as much as he does, but his stamina is a real asset in this respect because CB's have to match those runs whilst at the same time, Haaland sets traps and constantly tests their wits. A sharp #10 or midfield behind Haaland will start to see openings to exploit and the gaps Haaland is working for them, which is beneficial to his team and suggests that eventually, particularly in the last quarter of games, there are opportunities to be had and goalscoring chances aplenty. Haaland and Odegaard at the Euros should be an interesting pair to watch, and if they both continue to develop as they're threatening to do, should become a gruesome twosome for Norway.

Haaland is a #10's dream. Someone like him with a peak Oezil or a Rui Costa etc. behind him would be a fun watch. Further to that, he makes the game so much easier for widemen, too, because not only does he drive forward, he then splits off to a post when and where necessary, right across his markers whilst leaving acres of space for someone else to follow in on (a ghosting #8, or a sharp wing-forward). You can see why teammates would love playing with him as he makes things considerably easier for them either to supply him, or exploit the spaces (ruptures) he leaves behind himself.

The way he plays is a breath of fresh air and as much of a curiosity there is in how many he'll score etc. the tenets of strike play he exhibits are just as fun to watch and it is freakish for him to have so many of them at 19, whilst still being far from the finished article. On his current trajectory, you have to wonder what he'll look like by 22/23.
 

RooneyLegend

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The thing that continues to stand out with him is the relentless and drive for, and toward, goal - it's not often you pick up on that, even with prolific goalscorers. I see him being compared to numerous goalscorers of yore, but there's not really a match for him because his attributes are freakish, but that centred focus on driving toward threatening positioning, the hissy fits, the pouting, the obsession with scoring again and again: RVN, C.Ronaldo and perhaps Inzaghi come to mind for the same kind of physical desire and remonstrations.

I don't think the comparisons to other strikers match for the simple reason that if you watch Haaland, is quite clumsy and his game is not complete, or at least tidy, so mentioning the likes of Vieri, Adriano and so forth isn't a match. Vieri and Adriano both had sublime striking technique to the point it was known you don't give either even a moment to draw back their left foot whilst they had a sight on goal - this was assured and predictable striking from both of them. Haaland is not like that and on top of the above, would be more likely to drive towards goal than strike the ball from distance. Adriano is not a match with Vieri, also in that he was a juggernaut who could run wherever he wanted irrespective of markers or tracking pressure specifically because of his power and speed. Vieri had the power, Haaland has some of the speed but neither have the combination of both that compares to Adriano, who, as @giorno stated, scared defenders on and off the ball and had multiple men scrambling towards his general area of the pitch, one usually to try and face him head on, and one or two trying desperately to sweep up behind the first man. That's not applicable to Haaland who, in the first instance, is going to be trying to run away from the ball and into the box as an instinct and requires more tracking by able runners than concern he's going to get on the ball and take a crack at goal, from any distance, as soon as he has a chance to.

Haaland has the kind of pace the likes of Inzaghi and Van Nistlerooy did not, but the mindset he has is more remniscent of these types - the foxes in the box, but he has nowhere near RVN's technical acumen, but neither is he as bereft as Inzaghi, so again, the matching process falls short pretty quickly, but for sure, his innate instincts to make the runs he does and slip markers with doubled movements is much more remniscent of these kind of forwards than the type who are a threat (via shooting) further from goal like the aforementioned or a Shearer, C.Ronaldo etc.

Seems to me he is a hybrid - an amalgamation of a fair few who have gone before, which is why different people are seeing different things they identify in his game and compare favourably to what has gone before. He's an oddity and unique - a very interesting striker to analyse especially so with the desire he displays on a game by game basis.

I'm pretty sure whatever he is now, he'll be more than a few years down the line. As stated, he is clumsy, or at least unrefined in aspects of his play, but at the same time, he shows glimpses of what might become intrinsic to his game in the future. Things like: lay offs into to turns and drives for the return ball; 1-touch into spins/splits away from the ball; tight control and hold-up. He does them fleetingly a the moment, and in the very same game can let basic things slip or flub them. There is abundant room for growth, which is to be expected when talking about 19-year old strikers not named Ronaldo or Kluivert.

What I like the most about him is the mentality, not only to score goals or drive forward, but to work his centrebacks over and over again, which, slowly but surely fatigues the mind just as much as the body and leads to mistakes and panic as Haaland's runs accumulate. It might be seen as pointless to run forward as much as he does, but his stamina is a real asset in this respect because CB's have to match those runs whilst at the same time, Haaland sets traps and constantly tests their wits. A sharp #10 or midfield behind Haaland will start to see openings to exploit and the gaps Haaland is working for them, which is beneficial to his team and suggests that eventually, particularly in the last quarter of games, there are opportunities to be had and goalscoring chances aplenty. Haaland and Odegaard at the Euros should be an interesting pair to watch, and if they both continue to develop as they're threatening to do, should become a gruesome twosome for Norway.

Haaland is a #10's dream. Someone like him with a peak Oezil or a Rui Costa etc. behind him would be a fun watch. Further to that, he makes the game so much easier for widemen, too, because not only does he drive forward, he then splits off to a post when and where necessary, right across his markers whilst leaving acres of space for someone else to follow in on (a ghosting #8, or a sharp wing-forward). You can see why teammates would love playing with him as he makes things considerably easier for them either to supply him, or exploit the spaces (ruptures) he leaves behind himself.

The way he plays is a breath of fresh air and as much of a curiosity there is in how many he'll score etc. the tenets of strike play he exhibits are just as fun to watch and it is freakish for him to have so many of them at 19, whilst still being far from the finished article. On his current trajectory, you have to wonder what he'll look like by 22/23.
He'll look pretty much the same. There's basically no room for improvement when it comes to him.
 

Ace of Spades

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If Dortmund had to choose between selling for 60 mil in 2 seasons time & 120 mil in 1 seasons time what would they choose in your opinion? Just as a philophilical question?
Well, it does not matter what I think, but what they will do. They did let Lewandowski go free, instead of taking the money. So, looks more like they will sell only if they want to. A big bid could tempt them, but I am no expert in the workings of Dortmund.
 

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He'll look pretty much the same. There's basically no room for improvement when it comes to him.
There's tonnes of improvements to be had, whether he makes them remains to be seen, but he is currently far from the finished article as far as his own game is concerned.
 

chomsky89

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A 19-year-old Norwegian striker is scoring on average every 26.min on the field for Dortmund. He's not taking penalties either. He also scored 9 goals in an under 20s championship game less than a year ago. Go home reality, you're drunk.
 

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Rewatching the second goal - actually astonishing how he hits that, very difficult to execute a shot like that and get that much power.. only guys like Batigol could hit it the way he did and he made it look easy. Bludgeon of a left foot. I don’t think PSG will make the mistake of giving him that much space on his stronger foot next time.
 

Raees

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There's tonnes of improvements to be had, whether he makes them remains to be seen, but he is currently far from the finished article as far as his own game is concerned.
Agreed and he’s at the best club IMO to improve those weaknesses. Said at start of the season I don’t see him fitting into a Barca or Real until he becomes more technically refined and that is a journey he is already embarking upon by moving to a club like Dortmund which is a great development club for raw talent. I don’t think he would have improved as much by joining us tbh.
 

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Going to BVB is the best move he could of made in his young Career!
Absolutely right. The way Dortmund plays and the trust they put in young players are absolutely vital to his development. Would he be scoring this many goals at United? I seriously doubt it.
Had he gone to let’s say Madrid or Juventus, he’d be on the bench most of the time, without the chance to score.
 

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Absolutely right. The way Dortmund plays and the trust they put in young players are absolutely vital to his development. Would he be scoring this many goals at United? I seriously doubt it.
Had he gone to let’s say Madrid or Juventus, he’d be on the bench most of the time, without the chance to score.
He'd be feeding off scraps and we'd still have no midfield, as we wouldn't have gone for Fernandes if the Haaland deal went through.
 

Number32

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Well, it does not matter what I think, but what they will do. They did let Lewandowski go free, instead of taking the money. So, looks more like they will sell only if they want to. A big bid could tempt them, but I am no expert in the workings of Dortmund.
Spot on mate. If Woodward was in charge, He would sold Lewandowski for a big money then let Bayern had a free pass winning the league again. One of Dortmund fans told me, They would never let 2 "key players" go in the same window unless its out of their contract or release clause. So its not about how much money do you offer to them.

Money is important but its not everything, They are more competent than us in the transfer market. They will get the best of Haaland in two years and never regret anything what they had done with Raiola.
 

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Still holding out feint hopes that he might sign for Utd in a few years after absolutely tearing it up in Germany, however my gut feeling is that we have missed the boat on this one and just have to get over it
That chance of signing him is missed, and for the way we are playing he wouldn’t so score so much

It’s like a buying a stock, if you miss the right moment to buy you are out. Buying when the price is too high is risky and often counterproductive
 

DRM

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Ooff missing out on him hurts! File under robben, ronaldinho, shearer etc.
 

Tom Cato

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He'd be feeding off scraps and we'd still have no midfield, as we wouldn't have gone for Fernandes if the Haaland deal went through.
The two deals have nothing to do with each other. We signed Odion Ighalo on loan as well if history eludes you already.
 

FattyFooty

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He's change of pace is just unreal. Look before the goal how defenders just give up on him.

He's pace and power, combined with that finishing and positioning.

What an footballer! Unreal!
 

Kevin

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Think it is such a shame that Haaland has that snake Raiola as his agent,feel like if it was someone else then maybe we would have signed him.
Why is raiola a snake if he told haaland that Dortmund, at his age and looking at the state of United, is a better destination for him?
I’d say that is good advice and probably 90 percent of the United fans on here would agree when assessing it neutrally.
 

mu4c_20le

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I'm sure most United fans don't give a shit about anything but the club. The only good advice is to say feck everyone else, I want United.
 

padzilla

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I don't get the hate for United on this one. We tried to sign him but he wanted to go somewhere else instead, it used to happen all the time under Fergie as well - look at Robben choosing Chelsea over us.
 

lurkingfan

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Reminds me of classic Ronaldo. I really really hope that Haalands knees hold up better.
 

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Looks like the real deal.. if Dortmund hand something that resembled a competent defence, he could potentially lead them to a CL final.
 

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The two deals have nothing to do with each other. We signed Odion Ighalo on loan as well if history eludes you already.
Yes the history of last month completely eludes me. That's a poor attempt at smartarsery. What has getting someone like Ighalo on a short-term loan got to do with Haaland?

If the club had stumped up the cash and wages for Haaland I highly doubt they would also have paid as much as they had to pay to get the Fernandes deal over the line.

You can believe what you like but I find it extremely unlikely.
 

thepolice123

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The thing that continues to stand out with him is the relentless and drive for, and toward, goal - it's not often you pick up on that, even with prolific goalscorers. I see him being compared to numerous goalscorers of yore, but there's not really a match for him because his attributes are freakish, but that centred focus on driving toward threatening positioning, the hissy fits, the pouting, the obsession with scoring again and again: RVN, C.Ronaldo and perhaps Inzaghi come to mind for the same kind of physical desire and remonstrations.

I don't think the comparisons to other strikers match for the simple reason that if you watch Haaland, is quite clumsy and his game is not complete, or at least tidy, so mentioning the likes of Vieri, Adriano and so forth isn't a match. Vieri and Adriano both had sublime striking technique to the point it was known you don't give either even a moment to draw back their left foot whilst they had a sight on goal - this was assured and predictable striking from both of them. Haaland is not like that and on top of the above, would be more likely to drive towards goal than strike the ball from distance. Adriano is not a match with Vieri, also in that he was a juggernaut who could run wherever he wanted irrespective of markers or tracking pressure specifically because of his power and speed. Vieri had the power, Haaland has some of the speed but neither have the combination of both that compares to Adriano, who, as @giorno stated, scared defenders on and off the ball and had multiple men scrambling towards his general area of the pitch, one usually to try and face him head on, and one or two trying desperately to sweep up behind the first man. That's not applicable to Haaland who, in the first instance, is going to be trying to run away from the ball and into the box as an instinct and requires more tracking by able runners than concern he's going to get on the ball and take a crack at goal, from any distance, as soon as he has a chance to.

Haaland has the kind of pace the likes of Inzaghi and Van Nistlerooy did not, but the mindset he has is more remniscent of these types - the foxes in the box, but he has nowhere near RVN's technical acumen, but neither is he as bereft as Inzaghi, so again, the matching process falls short pretty quickly, but for sure, his innate instincts to make the runs he does and slip markers with doubled movements is much more remniscent of these kind of forwards than the type who are a threat (via shooting) further from goal like the aforementioned or a Shearer, C.Ronaldo etc.

Seems to me he is a hybrid - an amalgamation of a fair few who have gone before, which is why different people are seeing different things they identify in his game and compare favourably to what has gone before. He's an oddity and unique - a very interesting striker to analyse especially so with the desire he displays on a game by game basis.

I'm pretty sure whatever he is now, he'll be more than a few years down the line. As stated, he is clumsy, or at least unrefined in aspects of his play, but at the same time, he shows glimpses of what might become intrinsic to his game in the future. Things like: lay offs into to turns and drives for the return ball; 1-touch into spins/splits away from the ball; tight control and hold-up. He does them fleetingly a the moment, and in the very same game can let basic things slip or flub them. There is abundant room for growth, which is to be expected when talking about 19-year old strikers not named Ronaldo or Kluivert.

What I like the most about him is the mentality, not only to score goals or drive forward, but to work his centrebacks over and over again, which, slowly but surely fatigues the mind just as much as the body and leads to mistakes and panic as Haaland's runs accumulate. It might be seen as pointless to run forward as much as he does, but his stamina is a real asset in this respect because CB's have to match those runs whilst at the same time, Haaland sets traps and constantly tests their wits. A sharp #10 or midfield behind Haaland will start to see openings to exploit and the gaps Haaland is working for them, which is beneficial to his team and suggests that eventually, particularly in the last quarter of games, there are opportunities to be had and goalscoring chances aplenty. Haaland and Odegaard at the Euros should be an interesting pair to watch, and if they both continue to develop as they're threatening to do, should become a gruesome twosome for Norway.

Haaland is a #10's dream. Someone like him with a peak Oezil or a Rui Costa etc. behind him would be a fun watch. Further to that, he makes the game so much easier for widemen, too, because not only does he drive forward, he then splits off to a post when and where necessary, right across his markers whilst leaving acres of space for someone else to follow in on (a ghosting #8, or a sharp wing-forward). You can see why teammates would love playing with him as he makes things considerably easier for them either to supply him, or exploit the spaces (ruptures) he leaves behind himself.

The way he plays is a breath of fresh air and as much of a curiosity there is in how many he'll score etc. the tenets of strike play he exhibits are just as fun to watch and it is freakish for him to have so many of them at 19, whilst still being far from the finished article. On his current trajectory, you have to wonder what he'll look like by 22/23.
Not to be pedantic but its extremely rare to find two players of similar playing styles. Every elite player iw
s quite unique in his own right. You need to have the same natural talents, physical and mental attributes, football upbringing and not to mention the era of football - the possibilties are practically endless. .

I think when people are making player comparisons, they generally doing a very loose interpretation. We look at certain areas of player's game and branch them in a category of players with similar qualities. For example, Haaland's qualities and flaws and be easily applied to peak Torres. He also had an inconsistent general play, his first touch can be dodgy as hell and his passing was average. However, they are both physical specimens, they can operate anywhere inside and outside the box, had incredible speed to burn and an insatiable hunger for goals.
 

Tiber

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A true goalscorer would have made such a difference for Ole. Real shame the club couldn't get it done