Erling Haaland \u2013 despite being heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge \u2013 ended up preferring Manchester City\u2019s shade of blue and is the newest grand addition to the Etihad club.<\/p>\n
Haaland offered his explanation why he snubbed Chelsea for Manchester City this summer, as Pep Guardiola pulled off his grand coup of scuttling Thomas Tuchel’s dream signing. The west Londoners were prime among several top-flight sides keen to sign the former Borussia Dortmund striker, although several factors mitigated against them.<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old was presented to City fans after swapping the Signal Iduna Park for the Etihad, along with Julian Alvarez and Stefan Ortega. During the presentation, Haaland elaborated on his decision to join his father’s former club, claiming notably that Guardiola’s philosophy was key in courting his attention.<\/p>\n
Citing Dortmund’s clash with City in the Champions League quarter-final last season, the Norway international said, according to the Manchester Evening News: “I played against them in the Champions League last year. You see them on TV and when you meet it’s completely different.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t touch the ball for 25 minutes. ‘Please Ilkay Guendogan, stop playing tiki-taka!’ It’s a different level how they approach the game, create chances. That’s what I wanted to be a part of.”<\/p>\n
Since hitting the spotlight at Dortmund, the young Norwegian sensation rapidly evolved into one of the continent\u2019s most highly-rated and most sought-after strikers. It wasn\u2019t long after the ink had dried on a contract that confirmed his \u00a317m switch from Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, that big moves were already being machinated by the Norwegian’s representatives for their client, according to ESPN<\/em>.<\/p>\n