Real Madrid need some players to get them into actual contention for the Champions League, and according to them, Erling Haaland is one big piece.
Perez’s dream, according to Fabrizio Romano, is to pair up Kylian Mbappe with Erling Haaland at Real Madrid, a duo that would dominate Europe for years to come. That’s definitely a good plan, however, the club faces stiff competition from Manchester City for Haaland, and they also need to sign some players in other positions as well.
Now, the financial side of things is not really something to worry about, for either club. Real Madrid and Manchester City are offering the same salary to Haaland. It’s not the player’s biggest priority either way.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the five most crucial things to Haaland regarding his next club are the manager, the facilities, the tactical plan for the next 3-4 years, the continuity of management at the club, and the city.
Erling Haaland would put Manchester City over Real Madrid in most of these categories
All of this clearly matters a lot to Haaland. He’s making his choice wisely, and his decision would be made in a few days, or weeks. But right now, it’s not looking too good for Real Madrid.
You see, the manager is an easy choice. Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world, and Carlo Ancelotti, as we saw in the Clasico, is not. He was, at one point, but the game has changed, and Ancelotti hasn’t.
Both teams are excellent when it comes to facilities, so that’s no problem for either team.
The tactical plan for the next 3-4 years? I don’t know. I don’t think even Real Madrid know. They hired Ancelotti, who has been on record to say that he doesn’t have a clear playing style, and the way his teams play depends on the way their opposition plays, which is why Real Madrid are just sort of… there. They aren’t great at one single thing, and bad at a lot of different things. So, unless they hire a manager like Erik Ten Hag or Jurgen Klopp, I don’t think the tactical plan would get better.
The continuity of management. Think of it this way: This is Real Madrid. They change managers every other season. Manchester City have been with Pep Guardiola for six years. Figure it out.
But then, again, Pep Guardiola has said that he may want to leave at the end of his contract to try his luck at managing a national team, which would be pretty fun to see. So, that decision would also impact Haaland’s decision.
The city? I prefer Madrid, and I think even Haaland prefers Madrid, but you never know. Manchester City’s superiority in all the other factors may make this one null and void.
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All in all, I wouldn’t blame Haaland for choosing City over Madrid, especially after that horrible showing vs Barcelona. You never know, though. He could still move to Real, although the chances look slimmer than ever.