Alf-Inge who is Erling Haaland’s father and one of his managers has finally explained why his son had snubbed and rejected a summer transfer move which had been teased by Real Madrid and signed for Manchester City instead.
Haaland had also been the most-wanted player on the transfer market heading into the summer.
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Almost every major club in Europe had also declared their open interest in the Norwegian, but eventually, it had also turned into a three-horse race in 2022 between Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Haaland had also eventually agreed to sign a five-year contract with the Premier League champions, with Pep Guardiola’s side after activating the €60 million fee which had been included in his Borussia Dortmund contract.
Asked why Haaland joined Man City ahead of other top clubs, Alf-Inge said in the ‘Haaland: The Choice’ documentary for ViaPlay, “We had established a first criterion which was: ‘who needs a No. 9?’ Manchester City had 10/10 at this level, it was the perfect option.
“Real, we gave him more of a 5 or a 6 out of 10 because that is the way Karim Benzema currently plays. And we wondered if they were also going to sign Mbappe.”
The coach of Tottenham Hotspurs, Antonio Conte has finally opened up about his fears of Chelsea and Manchester United’s massive spending sprees which he had reiterated had finally given them a “big and better advantage” over Tottenham in the fight for top four places in the Premier League.
Conte who had already gotten his wish for backing from chairman Daniel Levy had managed to direct Tottenham to sign a total of seven players during the transfer window, including £50 million ($57 million) striker Richarlison from Everton and with this bolstered squad, Tottenham is off to an unbeaten start after five games.
But Conte has still expressed his concerns after Chelsea and United had each splashed out over £200 million on new signings.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game against Fulham, Conte told reporters: “Honestly, if you sign a player for £100 million or £80 million on the last day, you have a big advantage because it means you are signing a top player.