Jamie Carragher thinks Manchester City’s ability to dominate possession could be affected slightly by the signing of Erling Haaland.
The Norway striker looks set to play under Pep Guardiola next season after the Citizens reached an agreement with Dortmund for his capture. The transfer now hinges on the Manchester outfit agreeing personal terms with Haaland.
Manchester City will pay Dortmund £51.3million, rather than the £64m fee which has previously been suggested.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Haaland will take home £375,000 each week. That will put him in the same wage bracket as Kevin de Bruyne and among the Premier League’s highest earners.
The prospect of Haaland playing under Guardiola at the Etihad is a scary one. City have scored 89 goals in 35 league matches this term, with only Liverpool anywhere near them in that regard.
The Citizens have reached that figure while playing a false nine for most of the campaign. So add a deadly goalscorer like Haaland to the mix, and it will be intriguing to see how many times they score.
Ahead of Liverpool’s match against Aston Villa, Carragher was asked about Haaland’s arrival in England. He thinks the 21-year-old will be one of the sport’s next superstars, along with Kylian Mbappe.
However, the pundit also reckons Haaland could impact City’s ability to dominate their opponents in terms of possession.
Jamie Carragher comes in with Erling Haaland verdict
“Brilliant signing, it really is,” Carragher said (via Liverpool Echo). “Not just for Man City, but for the Premier League.
“I think we’re all intrigued to see how he’ll do. Him and Mbappe feel like the next two superstars who are going to eclipse [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo.
“You’re just delighted that he’s at the Premier League.
“More often than not, those type of players have gone to maybe a Barcelona or a Real Madrid, but I feel like now that the Premier League is the strongest league. You’ve seen how well we’ll done in the Champions League.
“He’ll score goals, that’s what he’s been bought to do, but it doesn’t guarantee that City will win everything. You still have to integrate him into the team.
“That means City will lose another creative player that helps them keep the ball more or have more control in games. There’s lots of questions that I’m already thinking of myself.
“We’ll be analysing his performances and how he fits in, but they had a world class striker in Sergio Aguero and they’ve got another one now.”
Sources claim Haaland could be in attendance for City’s last game of the season. They play Villa at home on Sunday May 22.
READ MORE: What Pep Guardiola said about Erling Haaland before Man City confirmed transfer
