One of the biggest stories this week has been Erling Haaland’s move to Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund and I believe this could be one of the most exciting Premier League signings of all time.
City activated his release clause, believed to be in the region of €60million, and fended off competition from a number of Europe’s top clubs who aspired to sign the Norwegian striker.
Both Haaland and PSG striker, Kylian Mbappe have emerged as Europe's most coveted players and certainly in the case Haaland, the reasons are because he scores goals and lots of them.
And not just lots of them, all different types of them. He is as all-round a striker as I’ve seen in recent years and that makes him even more potent.
At just 21 years of age, it can be argued he offers more value than Harry Kane, who at 28 years of age, still has a huge amount to offer and was a previous target of Man City. The £150 million (€176 million) price tag slapped on Kane's back by Tottenham last year was excessive though and proved enough of a deterrent, even for Manchester City.
For not even half of that (although his wages are reported to be in the region of €440,000 per week and there are large agent fees involved), Haaland is seriously good value and has more to his game.
Haaland has been a prolific goalscorer since he started playing senior football at just 15 years of age in Norway but he is a much more complete player than Kane and has more dimensions to his game.
Menacing
At just over 6ft 4in he is a powerful header of the ball and is a menacing presence for defenders from crosses and set pieces. But more importantly, and in line with how Man City like to play, he is extremely dangerous in the box from low crosses. This is where he separates himself from other strikers with his height.
His movement in and around defenders in the box is mesmerising. How he holds runs to achieve a yard of space, how he drifts in behind defenders and creates passing lanes for his teammates in the vicinity and then his powerful presence when he gets in front of defenders makes him a nightmare to defend.
He is also very fast and devours the space in behind defences when he is released off the shoulder of the last defender. When he gets into those situations, against high lines, he is very difficult to catch because of the power he generates in his running technique and in front of goal, he is calm and measured with his finishes.
Perhaps even more crucial though, is his impressive and powerful acceleration over the first three yards and because of this speed, he can find space in behind defenders who are camped deep in their own defensive third and with City being a team that often faces teams who sit deep in low blocks, this can be where Haaland’s presence in the City team will cause a new and very real problem for deep defences.
He is no one-trick pony, and his movement displays an exceptional level of game intelligence. He sees things before they happen.
For him to be playing off Kevin de Bruyne supply must be a terrifying prospect for all Premier League defenders and managers.
Venomous
The Premier League is also renowned for its physicality and again, Haaland does not come up shy in this respect. He is strong and imposing and uses his upper body really well to shield defenders from the ball making it stick when he gets it in the box and because he is so comfortable shooting off both his left and right foot, he has the capacity to create the half a yard of space he needs to unleash a venomous shot.
Two of the most game intelligent and technically complete players in the world working together is hopefully going to be something to be behold
What’s also unique about him is his ruthless efficiency and this is one of his qualities that stands out for me most. He is not a player who takes touches in the box. In fact, he prefers to just use one, that one touch being his shot at goal. He will take two if he has to, but seldom will you see this guy taking anymore than that because he just finishes.
As a left-footer, he is a confident and capable penalty taker with a wide-ranging repertoire of penalty finishes. He hits the ball hard and clean and with quite lethal accuracy. There would be no doubt he will add to his tally from the spot, particularly in a City side that tend to rotate their penalty takers with Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling and Gundogan being among their nominated players.
And even his new manager knows how important a player like Haaland can be, particularly if he can be kept fit.
"I like to work with good players, they make you a good manager. Incredible young talent, we'll help him as good as possible," said Guardiola who still seeks that Champions League glory that has eluded him since 2011.
Haaland is a player that can slot straight into this City team and the Premier League. His father Alfie will have his son well briefed on what he can expect in some venues but for me, the really exciting part of this is the partnership between Kevin de Bruyne and Haaland.
Two of the most game intelligent and technically complete players in the world working together is hopefully going to be something to be behold.
From a pure football perspective, it is a tantalising prospect and one that once again forces coaches and managers to come up with a new defensive solution to try to stop him.
It will certainly add a new and exciting dimension to next season.
