Manchester City can already look forward to an exciting Premier League campaign in August after the club confirmed the capture of Erling Haaland in a £51million deal from Borussia Dortmund.The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal to become Pep Guardiola's first summer signing and there could be more new faces to follow the frontman through the door, as the Premier League champions aim to retain their title.
Haaland arrives with a reputation as one of the world's most lethal strikers after scoring 86 goals in 89 appearances for Dortmund.
The Norwegian sensation has been unstoppable since bursting onto the scene with Red Bull Salzburg, before sealing his move to the Bundesliga in January 2020, and has also bagged 20 goals in just 21 caps for his country.But the prospect of Haaland playing in one of the most physical and competitive leagues in the world presents a whole new challenge for the player and Guardiola too.
Given the striker's towering frame and tendency to gallop in behind opposition defenders, Haaland will be required to adapt to City's possession game which has proved effective in helping them clinch the title in four of the last five seasons.Equally, it remains possible Guardiola may tweak his tactical plan to be more direct to cater to Haaland's bustling style up front, although the 4-3-3 setup itself is unlikely to change.
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