| Elling Haaland moved to Manchester City in the English Premier League (EPL). © AFP=News1 |
Manchester City (hereafter Man City), a club representing the English Premier League (EPL), has finally acquired striker Elling Haaland (22), attracting attention from all over the world.
Manchester City announced on the 10th (local time) that “Germany’s Bundesliga Dortmund forward Haaland has signed a contract. Haaland will join Manchester City from July 1.”
According to local media such as the BBC and Sky Sports, Manchester City spent a total of £85.5 million (about 135 billion won) for the signing of Haaland, including the buyout (minimum transfer fee) and agent fees. Haaland’s buyout is said to be £51m.
Haaland is said to be paid £375,000 a week at Manchester City. This is on par with Kevin De Bruyne, who currently boasts the highest weekly salary on the team.
The Norwegian-born Haaland moved to Dortmund in January 2020 after playing in Molde and Salzburg in Austria. During his time in Salzburg, he also worked with Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton).
Although Haaland moved to the big leagues during the season, he quickly adapted to the team and environment. He scored 16 goals in 18 appearances in his first season with Dortmund. He has scored a whopping 41 goals in 41 appearances in the 2020-21 season and is also scoring 28 goals in 29 appearances this season.
In addition, he showed his presence in the UEFA Champions League. Last season, Haaland became the youngest player to score 20 goals in the Champions League, signaling the birth of a new star.
Europe’s top teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Paris Saint-Germain (France) and Liverpool (England) showed interest in Haaland, who also proved his skills in Dortmund. However, Haaland chose to go to Manchester City, where his father played in the past. Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge Haaland, played for Manchester City as a defender and midfielder from 2000 to 2003.
The addition of Haaland, who boasts a height of 194 centimeters, quick feet and an accurate and powerful left-footed shot, has given City a dream of winning the Champions League for the first time.
Manchester City are always competing for the title in the Premier League, but have never won a single trophy in the Champions League. Last season, they lost to Chelsea in the final, and this season they were knocked out of the finals by Real Madrid.