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Pep Guardiola | Getty Images
Manchester City continue to chase down Arsenal at the top end of the Premier League table
Ex-Football chief executive Mick Brown has said he would be ‘very surprised’ if Erling Haaland left Manchester City this summer. He has been linked with a future switch to Barcelona, as per Spanish news outlet Sport. His current contract in England expires in the summer of 2034.
Pep Guardiola’s side remain 2nd in the Premier League table behind Arsenal. They are nine points behind the Gunners with a game in hand. The North West outfit face Mikel Arteta’s men in the Carabao Cup final this weekend.
Manchester City latest regarding Erling Haaland
Former Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers man Brown has delivered his verdict on Haaland, as per a report by Football Insider: “Of course Haaland’s recent form is going to be a concern. But if you’re watching a five-minute shot of Man City and how they play, the ball gets played in and around the box, back and forth, bits of skill but slowly moving it around.
“If you ignore all of that and just watch Haaland, he’s dropping short, not getting it, spinning in behind, not getting it, moving in the middle, and the cross doesn’t come in. I start feeling sorry for him, because for all the good work City do in and around the area, they’re not giving him the service that he needs.”
He added: “The way Guardiola has set his team up isn’t in a way that benefits Haaland, and that’s a problem. They get a poor result against West Ham and all the talk is ‘look at Haaland, he’s not scoring’, but it’s not for the want of trying.
“If you’re talking about whether he could leave Man City, no. I’d be very surprised if that was going to be an option for him or for City. But it’s frustrating for a striker when you’re constantly trying to get into positions and you’re not getting the ball, because all the criticism comes onto you anyway.”
City won’t want to lose Haaland anytime soon, especially to a Champions League rival like Barcelona. They are well protected for the next few years and aren’t under any pressure to sell him. It would have to take a major bid from elsewhere to lure him away at this stage.
Haaland, 25, has been prolific since his move to his current club back in 2022. Prior to his switch, he caught the eye in Germany for Borussia Dortmund. The forward rose up through the ranks at local team Bryne before making a name for himself at Molde in his native country.
The Norway international, who has 48 caps to his name, is City main man at the top end of the pitch. He has fired 153 goals in 187 games for them in all competitions. Barcelona could see him as someone to bolster their striking department if they landed him.
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