By AnnaGrace Hale | Sports Writer
Stepping into his first season in the Premier League, 22-year-old Erling Haaland suits up in the sky-blue for Manchester City. The Norwegian has made an immediate impact on the pitch with his goal-scoring instinct and is clearly one of the most successful transfers from this summer’s window.
Haaland was a scoring machine during his days at Borussia Dortmund with 62 goals in 67 match appearances. He was also named Bundesliga Player of the Year in the 2020-21 season. On May 10, it was announced Haaland would cross the English Channel from Germany to England to embark on a new season in Manchester.
Some were skeptical as to how Haaland would fit in with City’s head coach Pep Guardiola’s playing style. The skeptics were silenced after the first match of the season against West Ham. Haaland netted two goals, on per half, giving City the 2-0 victory.
Once he got started, he couldn’t stop. In the first six fixtures of the Premier League season, the center-forward found the back of the net 10 times. He has claimed two hat-tricks in back-to-back games against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium. Without his three goals against Palace, the defending champions would have fallen 2-1.
Just to compare these accomplishments to some of the greats in Premier League history, Tottenham and England captain Harry Kane notched 10 league goals after his 30th appearance. Former City striker, Sergio Agüero claimed his 10th goal in his 11th cap for the club. Both of these names went on to shatter records across the board. Imagine what Haaland can do with 10 goals in six appearances.
The UEFA Champions League just kicked off and all eyes are on the Norwegian as he embarked with his new club on a grander stage. It only took Haaland 20 minutes to score. Now, the striker has notched 25 goals in 20 appearances within the UCL: the first to ever do so.
In 20 appearances in the UCL, big names such as German striker Robert Lewandowski found the net 11 times and legend Leonel Messi only 8.
At this pace, what can’t Haaland do?
What makes the forward so deadly is his speed and knowledge of the game. He has the ability to make runs behind the backline into space. Trusting that the ball will come to his feet, he puts his head down and runs. Once he is going, there is no stopping him.
Haaland has meshed well with key City players like Belgian Kevin DeBruyne and German Ilkay Gundogan. These two midfielders are able to feed the young forward quality balls across the box and through defenders allowing him multiple opportunities to capitalize — and Haaland does.
Additionally, the Norwegian can finish with both feet. Although naturally left-footed, he has found the net with his right. At 6-foot-4-inches, Haaland’s height allows him to find success in the air.
If Haaland is on the ball within ten yards of the goal, he’s scoring.
The statistics can back that up. Not only does he sit comfortably as the top scorer for the Premier League this season, but also in the sky-blue, Haaland has scored a goal every 54 minutes for City. That’s wild.
With a multitude of Premier League fixtures left and five more years on Haaland’s contract for Manchester City, records are going to be shattered. Titles will be won. This transfer was a good move for The Sky Blues.
