Erling Haaland

[tomaldinho1]

Let’s look at the trophy cabinets of our two biggest English rivals to his signature:

1st division/ EPL trophies:
Manchester United 20
Chelsea 6
City 6

Champions league trophies:
Manchester United 3
Chelsea 1
City 0

FA Cup:
Manchester United 12
Chelsea 8
City 6

Ballon d’ors:
Manchester United 4
Chelsea 0
City 0

PL golden boots:
Manchester United 5
Chelsea 3
City 1

Biggest fanbase, biggest Stadium, our History, Munchen ‘58 and we’re not owned by oilmoney from countries who don’t care too much about human rights. Add to that, we have a manager who is Norwegian, knows him well, has coached him before and whom he likes and respects.

It’s not as crazy as you think.....

I'm assuming Haaland lives in the present day. I genuinely don't know if he's a United fan (which is why I asked you) because, if he is, the above will definitely factor in but otherwise our success of yesteryear will have minimal pull.

I'll answer the below for you.

1. Which club is most likely to win trophies in the PL? City
2. Which club is most likely to win the CL? City, Bayern, Real, Pool, Chelsea, even Dortmund above us
3. Which clubs have had players win the Balon D'Or most regularly? Real and Barca are undisputed here
4. Which clubs have had strikers regularly win the golden boot? City, Real, Barca, Pool, Bayern

Things can change quickly, it only takes us getting back to the CL latter stages and being close to a PL and the United brand will beat off most other clubs but, right now, we are not going to be top choice for top players. If a player and their families are open to Manchester, City will be top choice, then factor in that a lot of Europeans prefer London and Chelsea are normally No1 pick in the PL (Jorginho for example). That's not even bringing in Real or Barca or the perennial Dortmund raiders Bayern.

 

[troylocker]

I'm assuming Haaland lives in the present day. I genuinely don't know if he's a United fan (which is why I asked you) because, if he is, the above will definitely factor in but otherwise our success of yesteryear will have minimal pull.

I'll answer the below for you.

1. Which club is most likely to win trophies in the PL? City
2. Which club is most likely to win the CL? City, Bayern, Real, Pool, Chelsea, even Dortmund above us
3. Which clubs have had players win the Balon D'Or most regularly? Real and Barca are undisputed here
4. Which clubs have had strikers regularly win the golden boot? City, Real, Barca, Pool, Bayern

Things can change quickly, it only takes us getting back to the CL latter stages and being close to a PL and the United brand will beat off most other clubs but, right now, we are not going to be top choice for top players. If a player and their families are open to Manchester, City will be top choice, then factor in that a lot of Europeans prefer London and Chelsea are normally No1 pick in the PL (Jorginho for example). That's not even bringing in Real or Barca or the perennial Dortmund raiders Bayern.

He does live in the present day, and he is not a United fan. I do think he can see longer than 3 months down the line though... He will also see a Spanish league in decline. With Real and Barca far from the galacticos or the 2010 Barca. I agree that City are favourites to sign him, I’m just saying that we are not in such a bad shape ourselves. None of the London clubs have the status to sign Haaland.
No City player have ever won the Golden boot by the way and they have never reached a CL final before....

 

[ShoePolish]

Think the CL draw puts City favorites, imo. Heard this story before - play someone's team, have a chat before game, lay the foundations for transfer. Only thing that we have going for us, in terms of swaying him, is Ole, and he didn't even fancy that over Dortmund. Best thing we can do, is snag Sancho before City get Haaland, otherwise, if they have the Haaland money, they'll rinse us for maximum.

 

[tomaldinho1]

He does live in the present day, and he is not a United fan. I do think he can see longer than 3 months down the line though... He will also see a Spanish league in decline. With Real and Barca far from the galacticos or the 2010 Barca. I agree that City are favourites to sign him, I’m just saying that we are not in such a bad shape ourselves. None of the London clubs have the status to sign Haaland.
No City player have ever won the Golden boot by the way and they have never reached a CL final before....

Yes but, again, he lives in the present day so City's plastic status might not bother him at all. They are the best club for winning trophies in the PL and I disagree on Chelsea, a lot of Europeans see them as their No1 PL club because of families wanting to be in London. I will say this though, as a glimmer of hope, I worked in Norway for a few years and they are genuinely some of the most straight talking and morally conscious people I've ever met so if there's ever going to be a player who says no because of human rights etc. it might well be a Norwegian! The fact his dad played for City and Leeds however almost seals our fate, even with Ole at the wheel.

 

[OleBoiii]

The biggest newspaper in Norway interviewed 4 top football agents and asked them where they think Haaland will end up next.

Only 1 out the 4 agents mentioned United as a possible candidate. And he mentioned us last in a list of 5 teams. Chelsea got mentioned more than us.

 

[Dave Smith]

The biggest newspaper in Norway interviewed 4 top football agents and asked them where they think Haaland will end up next.

Only 1 out the 4 agents mentioned United as a possible candidate. And he mentioned us last in a list of 5 teams. Chelsea got mentioned more than us.

What was the rank order? City, Real, Bayern, Chelsea, Utd?

 

[OleBoiii]

What was the rank order? City, Real, Bayern, Chelsea, Utd?

Not really an "order" per se...

Agent 1: City, Bayern or PSG
Agent 2: City or Chelsea
Agent 3: PSG, Real, Chelsea, City or United
Agent 4: Real

 

[Matriac]

What was the rank order? City, Real, Bayern, Chelsea, Utd?

No real order, one agent preferred Bayern, another City, another Real, another PSG.

A nothing article.

 

[Matriac]

The biggest newspaper in Norway interviewed 4 top football agents and asked them where they think Haaland will end up next.

Only 1 out the 4 agents mentioned United as a possible candidate. And he mentioned us last in a list of 5 teams. Chelsea got mentioned more than us.

The article specifically states that no top agent accepted being interviewed because it's a conflict of interest on their other clients.

So it's in the medium bracket of agents, who are not even really used to dealing with the clubs they mention.

Biggest claim to fame there was Mendy and used to represent Aubameyang. The other agents has a Everton trio, one used to have Cannavaro and then just low tier talents.

Anyone actually interested in getting worried for no reason can read the google translated article here:
https://xjigavcwfy5z7g4pn6cwygwdue-...kreve-aarsloenn-paa-over-100-mill-etter-skatt

 

[OleBoiii]

The article specifically states that no top agent accepted being interviewed

I meant agents in top football, not top agents

I would assume that they know more than the average pundit at least.

 

[Matriac]

I meant agents in top football, not top agents

I would assume that they know more than the average pundit at least.

I'd say agents are less reliable than pundits, cause agents have a reason to blow smoke up the asses of clubs they want to work with. It's all an act when you take interviews in the media like this for any industry where your job depends on working with various companies.

No random agent is going to know where a player they don't represent will go. They have not spoken to the player, nor heard what club x is willing to offer for him. The only ones who will know are the people who's best interest is that this information does not go public, at least until it's official.

 

[rimzy]

I still think Haaland will end up at Bayern after one more season at Dortmund.
Lewandowski will be 35 at the start of the 22/23 season, it’s a typical Bayern move to pick up a player for his release clause in this manner.

 

[jontheblue]

Let’s look at the trophy cabinets of our two biggest English rivals to his signature:

1st division/ EPL trophies:
Manchester United 20
Chelsea 6
City 6

Champions league trophies:
Manchester United 3
Chelsea 1
City 0

FA Cup:
Manchester United 12
Chelsea 8
City 6

Ballon d’ors:
Manchester United 4
Chelsea 0
City 0

PL golden boots:
Manchester United 5
Chelsea 3
City 1

Biggest fanbase, biggest Stadium, our History, Munchen ‘58 and we’re not owned by oilmoney from countries who don’t care too much about human rights. Add to that, we have a manager who is Norwegian, knows him well, has coached him before and whom he likes and respects.

It’s not as crazy as you think.....

This is a spoof post right ?

 

[Eriku]

I still think Haaland will end up at Bayern after one more season at Dortmund.
Lewandowski will be 35 at the start of the 22/23 season, it’s a typical Bayern move to pick up a player for his release clause in this manner.

What would be Haaland’s reasons though? He’s scoring for fun in BL, has got a bunch of top clubs that want him, and has a stated wish to play in the EPL.

 

[troylocker]

This is a spoof post right ?

Do you really want to discuss why someone might think twice about being on the Sheik of Abu Dhabi's payroll?

 

[Matriac]

I still think Haaland will end up at Bayern after one more season at Dortmund.
Lewandowski will be 35 at the start of the 22/23 season, it’s a typical Bayern move to pick up a player for his release clause in this manner.

Bayern may want him, but even they don't usually trigger release clauses as high as €65m (or rumored more).
Plus it depends on the player wanting to go to Bayern. There is less prestige for him at this point to move directly from Dortmund to Bayern after 1.5 or 2.5seasons in the bundesliga (which isn't rated as highly in Norway). I can potentially see him going to Bayern in the future though, at like 28-30, depending on how his career goes.

It's the Prem as most likely, with La Liga as second. Maybe PSG if they offer to buy every member of his extended family their own luxury island somewhere while keeping Mbappe and Neymar for him to play with.

 

[IncyWincySpider]

I think we might be a bit deluded over the likelihood of this guy coming here. It's like if Liverpool fans in the nineties were thinking they might buy the Brazilian Ronaldo because they used to be a great team in the eighties.

We probably aren't good enough to attract players with his reputation at the moment. We are in a rebuild process and I don't see a player who can choose anywhere he wants to go choosing a club in a period of transition.

Besides all that I really think it's the midfield where we need to spend the money. Otherwise we might just end up with a £130 million striker sulking around the box with no service instead of Martial.

 

[BalanceUnAutreJoint]

Bayern may want him, but even they don't usually trigger release clauses as high as €65m (or rumored more).
Plus it depends on the player wanting to go to Bayern. There is less prestige for him at this point to move directly from Dortmund to Bayern after 1.5 or 2.5seasons in the bundesliga (which isn't rated as highly in Norway). I can potentially see him going to Bayern in the future though, at like 28-30.

It's the Prem as most likely, with La Liga as second. Maybe PSG if they offer to buy every member of his family their own island in Dubai while keeping Mbappe and Neymar for him to play with.

Qataris buying their players houses in Dubai sounds quite unlikely.

 

[Matriac]

Qataris buying their players houses in Dubai sounds quite unlikely.

True, so I changed it. Typing went a bit faster than my brain today.

 

[Solius]

This is going to be a tough one to take when he goes somewhere else.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

I don't see the Spanish links with him to be honest. Feels like they have noe substance at all and are solely created by Spanish press as wishful thinking rather than a realistic option. This personal opinion is based on reading Norwegian media, interviews with him, his father, his former coaches etc and the view in Norway in general. He was born in England, supported Leeds growing up and like most Norwegians, view the Premier League as the pinnacle of football despite La Liga's dominance the past decade. On top of that, the big two in Spain are worse off both in terms of squad and economically since that period of dominance started.

 

[jontheblue]

Do you really want to discuss why someone might have 2nd thoughts about being on the Sheik of Abu Dhabi's payroll?

Are you really still living in the world where city have to pay more than united for the same player because the player would really prefer to go to united ? That time has long since passed

 

[OleBoiii]

This is going to be a tough one to take when he goes somewhere else.

As long as he doesn't go to a domestic rival it will be fine. Mildly disappointing of course, but still fine.

If he goes to City then we might as well bow down to our new overlords for next decade or so. A new dynasty will be upon us. Evil will have triumphed. It will be less than ideal, basically.

 

[Matriac]

I don't see the Spanish links with him to be honest. Feels like they have noe substance at all and are solely created by Spanish press as wishful thinking rather than a realistic option. This personal opinion is based on reading Norwegian media, interviews with him, his father, his former coaches etc and the view in Norway in general. He was born in England, supported Leeds growing up and like most Norwegians, view the Premier League as the pinnacle of football despite La Liga's dominance the past decade. On top of that, the big two in Spain are worse off both in terms of squad and economically since that period of dominance started.

Yeah, there's very few in here who wants to trust us noggies when we keep repeating this.

He's much more likely to go to the Prem, but are of course not going to say publicly that he wouldn't go to Real/Barca. No reason to limit your options.

I know he will be a big star worldwide no matter where he goes, but if he goes to United to link up with Ole he will become an even bigger legend in his own home country, especially if they together manage to bring back the premier league title to United. It would go down in our history books as the biggest Norwegian achievement ever. (Forget every other non-Norwegian in the team.)

 

[Solius]

As long as he doesn't go to a domestic rival it will be fine. Mildly disappointing of course, but still fine.

If he goes to City then we might as well bow down to our new overlords for next decade or so. A new dynasty will be upon us. Evil will have triumphed. It will be less than ideal, basically.

Yeah basically if he goes to City or Chelsea (likely City) I'll have a very bleak outlook on the next cycle of the PL for us.

 

[troylocker]

Are you really still living in the world where city have to pay more than united for the same player because the player would really prefer to go to united ? That time has long since passed

No I don't. I'm talking about the fact that some young people might be politically aware, and not wanting to support totalitarian regimes where people still work on "slave contracts" or get thrown in jail for being raped or homosexual, where men and women doesn't have equal rights and those sort of things.....
City probably have the best squad in the world right now and winning trophies would pretty much be a guarantee there, but some might think about what political signals they send to the world. Haaland might not care, but he also might so there's that.

 

[AKDevil]

If I take tinted glasses off, I can’t see why Haaland joins United over City definitely, Madrid almost certainly and even Chelsea possibly.

 

[Karel Podolsky]

Yeah, there's very few in here who wants to trust us noggies when we keep repeating this.

He's much more likely to go to the Prem, but are of course not going to say publicly that he wouldn't go to Real/Barca. No reason to limit your options.

I know he will be a big star worldwide no matter where he goes, but if he goes to United to link up with Ole he will become an even bigger legend in his own home country, especially if they together manage to bring back the premier league title to United. It would go down in our history books as the biggest Norwegian achievement ever. (Forget every other non-Norwegian in the team.)

Just like Shearer, become the biggest legend in Newcastle.

 

[redshaw]

I wouldn't even rule out Barcelona. With Laporta and lots more money found from somewhere again he could be a very good option for a new look Barcelona.

For United to land Haaland it would need quite a set of circumstances like Madrid getting Mbappe and other clubs thinking he's not suited to them and Haaland not fancying extending his stay in Germany to play for Bayern, perhaps Chelsea doesn't appeal to him or things go a bit awry there.

Will be interesting how long his contracts are and what clauses he can put in, could be quite difficult negotiations. One idea is a release clause activates if his new club doesn't qualify for the CL. United wouldn't go for an outright release clause but could take a gamble hoping he'd propel us to a higher level

 

[Terry Chango]

The state of this thread....

I don’t often post, in fact I’ve not even attempted to get out of the newbie system properly for a while. We’re talking about years actually. Therefore I tend to do what I’ve always done and simply view the threads. Trying to gain enough likes and witnessing some frankly embarrassing members become full members isn’t for me when I’m a busy working professional with a family.

What I’d like to say though is that it’s embarrassing how many of you so called United players are playing down our chances of getting Haaland. Making out as if we are some small time has been club. Only one team per league can win the league right.

We are second in the most competitive and most watched league in the world after ole wasn’t backed in the last summer transfer window. City quite rightly are top, best Manager and best squad. If at the start of the season someone said you would finish second with more points than last year and saw signs of better football, less games lost and more goals scored the majority here would have said they’d take it on the assumption we can perhaps put some sort of challenge together next season if Ole’s backed.

Firstly we are man United, currently we are second ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool who some of you seem to think have a better chance of getting haaland...numerous posters claiming Chelsea have a better chance btw. Thirdly whether you like ole or not and the fact we haven’t won the league since 2013 ? We are still a massive club with huge global appeal that from my travels can only be matched possibly by Madrid...Barca excluding some continents.

Recent year’s despite despite not being 2nd or even champions league we’ve attracted some huge players. Ibra, pogba, Sanchez at the time,Di Maria, Maguire could have picked city, falcao and a couple more.

Yea Haaland is potentially a so called generational talent ( I hate this description but the caf loves it ) but the way some of you talk on here would suggest we small time and have no chance.

Norwegian’s love ole, they love the epl and United are huge in Norway. Pep may not be at city for that much longer and he might not be all about the money and taking the easy route to success. He’d become a far bigger star if he took us from second to 1st which isn’t as impossible as some of you make out as opposed to playing for city. Kids in Norway don’t dream of city no offence meant.

Madrid we should be worried about but the posters in here claiming he’d want to join city or Chelsea ahead of us without a doubt are wumming surely.

 

[Skåre Willoch]

I think we might be a bit deluded over the likelihood of this guy coming here. It's like if Liverpool fans in the nineties were thinking they might buy the Brazilian Ronaldo because they used to be a great team in the eighties.

We probably aren't good enough to attract players with his reputation at the moment. We are in a rebuild process and I don't see a player who can choose anywhere he wants to go choosing a club in a period of transition.

Besides all that I really think it's the midfield where we need to spend the money. Otherwise we might just end up with a £130 million striker sulking around the box with no service instead of Martial.

Not at all the same, really. Don't underestimate the pulling power of the PL (and Manchester United especially) in Norway. Us and Liverpool are the most supported teams, by far, with Liverpool most popular with the older generations, and us the most popular with the younger generations. Nobody even comes remotely close. And between us and Liverpool, we're the bigger club by quite some distance, and able to pay him more (at least I think we do?).

We absolutely have a chance of getting him. I think City are massive favorites for his signature as well, but you can't really compare us to the Liverpool of the nineties. Football has changed a lot since then.
I'd be very surprised if he goes to Bayern or PSG. I think it's between the two Spanish clubs, Man City and us.

I might be wrong, of course. I usually am.

 

[MadDogg]

In the ‘real world’ outside my fantasy he won’t sign for us - it would have been plausible under the last few years under Ferguson (van Persie) but, seriously if he and his advisers watch United regularly they will know that we create virtually nothing for our centre forwards from central or wide and we are constantly looking for a mix in midfield that will allow us to defend high and still be secure when in transition. Our forwards live on scraps as a result in a lot of games and not just against the better teams unfortunately.

Bruno and Shaw create more chances than just about anybody else around. Yes it would be nice if some of our other players stepped it up, but a big part of the reason they struggle is that our forwards tend to be in poor positions. Martial, Rashford and Greenwood all have poor movement in front of goal. They all make it quite difficult to find them much of the time. And when a cross is about to come in they all almost always drop deep on the edge of the box, with nobody actually busting a gut to attack any balls going across the goalmouth (something that Haaland constantly does).

Our creativity isn't as good as some of the top teams but it's also not as bad as is often made out. It's made to look worse than it actually is by the players who are supposed to be on the end of those chances...not being on the end of those chances. Haaland would still score a shitload with us.

 

[Lash]

If he choses somewhere else, so what. Good luck to him, we'll move on.

He's clearly exceptional and would be nearly everyone's first choice, but that's not to say we can't get someone else who will be super effective in our team.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

If I take tinted glasses off, I can’t see why Haaland joins United over City definitely, Madrid almost certainly and even Chelsea possibly.

Once again with the Madrid/Barcelona over United stuff. He's an English-born Norwegian, who grew up with the Premier League, in a country where the EPL is by far the most popular league, even over the national league. Back when we were the best team in the world we were constantly served the argument "why would a Latin player choose United over Barcelona/Real Madrid" where it was pointed to the fact that pretty much every Latin player grow up viewing Real Madrid/Barcelona as the ultimate dream. Well, you could easily say the same for Norwegians. For me personally, it's a 90% percent chance that he goes to an English club (City, then United & Chelsea), then the last 10% are reserved for others like Barcelona/Real Madrid/Bayern.

 

[Matriac]

Just like Shearer, become the biggest legend in Newcastle.

There's a tiny difference in being the legend of a city and of a country.
In Norway that would in regards to all news and media, tv punditry, award shows, possible knighthood and so on.

I know that being on top of the world is really cool, but being the biggest legend in your own home country does count for quite a bit as well.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Unless he is a United supporter, which he isn't, history means feck all and has zero influence on decision making.

 

[nmm85]

He genuinely looks like their old mascot Moonchester in that pic.

 

[GatoLoco]

Surprised to see so many posters mentioning Chelsea.

When was the last time Chelsea signed the best available player in the world with pretty much all Europe being interested?

 

[lenny_1248]

The amount of pessimism here is laughable.
He will most certainly go somewhere else. So fecking what? The club missed out on tons of great players before.
Crying over one player, saying it's the end of the world if he doen't come, is absolutely mental.

And I don't understand how you can watch every United game and think that just a new striker will change everything. You have to be deluded to think that he can solve all the problems by himself.
How much would he cost? 120 million? How much would be left then?
Could United surpass City with Fred/Matic/McT in the middle of the pitch? Could Haaland just magically score goals w/o being facilitated?
What about right wing? Central defence?

At this point the Haaland hype is getting ridiculous. He's not Messi or Ronaldo. He's more energetic, more dynamic RVN. And I don't remember that type of players changing everything by themselves.
If he's so fecking generational and better than Mbappe why Dortmund is outside of top-4? Bloody Eintracht is above them.

 

[2 man midfield]

Surprised to see so many posters mentioning Chelsea.

When was the last time Chelsea signed the best available player in the world with pretty much all Europe being interested?

Hazard probably, so nearly a decade ago while European champions.