Borussia Dortmund are a team that could be defined as one of the most active when it comes to scouting new talent in Europe. They have “discovered” players such as Ousmane Dembele, Jadon Sancho and Dan-Axel Zagadou, just to name a few. But they have shocked the market once again with their latest addition to the side.
The Bundesliga giants have won the Erling Braut Haaland sweepstakes. Per reports. they have secured the services of the Norway international until the end of the 2023-24 season. Dortmund shocked everyone with his signing. However, securing his services wasn’t an easy task.
Bayern Munich and Manchester United were keen to sign the coveted 19-year-old. However, he decided to sign with Dortmund since he’d have more opportunities to gain consistent first-term minutes with The Yellow Bees. He would have been blocked by Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford at Manchester United, while he would have had to compete with Robert Lewandowski at Bayern.
If we look things from that perspective, then Haaland seems to have made the right move. But Dortmund couldn’t let the chance to sign him get away. The 19-year-old seems to be a one-of-a-kind talent, and he could easily end up being one of the best strikers in the world sooner than later.
The numbers speak for themselves. Haaland has 16 goals and six assists in 14 Bundesliga appearances for RB Salzburg this season, and he also added eight goals in six UEFA Champions League matches. Taking all competitions into account, Haaland has 28 goals and seven assists in 22 games. The Norway international also averages one goal every 52 minutes, which is an out-of-this-world rate.
Haaland should be an immediate upgrade upfront for Dortmund
Haaland has “potential world-class player” written all over him. But there’s no question he also represents a huge upgrade for Dortmund upfront. The Signal Iduna Park side has players such as Thorgan Hazard, Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Julian Brandt as creative threats. However, Paco Alcacer was their lone striker on the squad until the addition of Haaland. The Norwegian prospect should add competition upfront, and he could boost an attacking unit that is already averaging 2.41 goals per game in the Bundesliga.
Haaland expressed no doubts to join Dortmund as soon as the chance became real.
“I had intensive discussions with the club management and the sports management, especially with Hans-Joachim Watzke, Michael Zorc and trainer Lucien Favre,” Haaland said.
“There was a feeling right from the start that I absolutely wanted to switch to this club, go this route and play football in this incredible Dortmund atmosphere in front of more than 80,000 spectators. I’m already burning for it.”
Only time will tell whether Haaland will fit in the Bundesliga. But there’s no question Dortmund have made an impressive piece of business here. One that could massive benefits in both the short-term and long-term picture.
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