Erling Haaland has established himself as the Premier League’s most feared striker in his maiden season and is set to be rewarded with a new contract by Manchester City for his stellar impact.
The Norwegian, who moved to City from Borussia Dortmund last summer in a £51.2m deal, has already equalled Mohamed Salah’s record-breaking tally of 32 goals in a league season.
On Wednesday night, he missed a penalty – his first error from the spot in two years – but still got on the score sheet in City’s 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
A draw was enough in the second leg in Munich thanks to Haaland and his teammates’ brilliant performance in the reverse fixture a week earlier.
Reported release clause in Haaland’s contract
When the 22-year-old number nine moved to the Etihad Stadium there were talks of a release clause in his City contract to leave for £150m in the summer of 2024. But it is now thought that it was linked to Pep Guardiola’s future in Manchester. Since Guardiola has now extended his own contract until 2025, the clause is cancelled.
However, the second-placed Premier League side wants to extend Haaland’s contract. According to the Athletic, he’s open to fresh talks despite his ambition to play for Spanish giants Real Madrid, the club City are up against in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Everything is going right for him in England, but in particular, Haaland is pleased with the way City have looked after him physically. During his Dortmund days, the former RB Salzburg man often struggled with injuries and it was feared the same issue would follow him at City.
Speaking about City’s handling of his fitness, Guardiola recently said: “I don’t know what he’s done in Dortmund but we take care of him 24 hours. We have incredible doctors and physios, they are behind him every second of the day.”
Not just the manager, but Haaland is also valued by his teammates. Bernardo Silva lauded his impact after City moved past Bayern, insisting the talisman is a special player, who doesn’t need many touches to influence the game.
Haaland continues to shatter scoring records
With 48 goals in 41 games in his first season, Haaland has truly changed the way fans look at the numbers in the Premier League. The previous season’s record of 44 goals in all competitions in a season was jointly held by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mohamed Salah. There are still plenty of games left to go, providing the ruthless striker with an opportunity to set an uncatchable record before the end of the season.
The news of Haaland extending his contract will certainly be well received by City faithful, but we can’t say the same about fans of other clubs. The way the Norway international has moved past their defenders this season has not only affected their teams this season but also paints a scary picture for the future.
Haaland shushed the Bayern crowd on Wednesday night, and his form at City suggests a lot of rival fans will be treated similarly for seasons to come.
