According to Sky Sports, Salzburg wonderkid Erling Haaland has visited both RB Leipzig and Dortmund ahead of a switch to the Bundesliga in the January transfer window. The 19-year-old is seemingly being monitored by a host of top European clubs, including the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United.
Numbers are sensational
The son of former Leeds and Norway star Alfie Inge Haaland has become one of the most in-demand players in the world game after a sensational couple of years. Many youngsters are talked up, but simply do not have the numbers to match their supposed potential.
It is difficult to argue with Haaland’s attacking returns this season. While he had impressed at various youth championships, this season he has not only starred in the Austrian Bundesliga, but also the Champions League.
The youngster has scored 16 goals in 14 matches in the Austrian top-flight this season. Some will say ‘it’s only the Austrian top-flight’. However, he has also been prolific in the Champions League. The striker scored eight goals in five European matches, only failing to score in Salzburg’s gameweek six home match against Liverpool. For a young player to produce some impressive goalscoring stats is very rare.
Bundesliga the logical next step
Moving to the German Bundesliga is the logical next step for the 19-year-old. The top-flight of football in Germany has become a breeding ground for young players who want to develop and move on to Europe’s biggest clubs.
The German top-flight also offers youngsters first-team opportunities in one of the best and most exciting leagues in the European game. Quite simply, there is probably not a better league for a youngster to play their football in at the minute. A move to the Bundesliga looks the ideal one for Haaland.
It will certainly be a major test of Haaland’s ability and potential, as the German Bundesliga is of a far higher standard than its neighbour leagues. Haaland may take a while to adjust. However, he seems to have the rare instinct of being a natural-born goalscorer. He also has decent technical ability and good football intelligence for a player of such tender years.
The step-up will do him good, as it will help him develop as a person and as a player. The youngster already seems to have outgrown Salzburg, who have played a part in developing yet another bright young player.
RB Leipzig are the favourites to sign the youngster
The link between Salzburg and RB Leipzig is obvious, as Energy drink giants Red Bull own both clubs. Leipzig are currently the favourites to sign Haaland at odds of 5/1 before the January window closes.
While Dortmund would be a good move for Haaland, as BVB have a good record of developing players, Leipzig may prove an even better move. Die Roten Bullen are currently in a fight for Bundesliga top spot with Monchengladbach, managed by one of the brightest young coaches in the world Julian Nagelsmann.
Nagelsmann loves to play attacking football and Haaland should fit right in at the club. However, he may well play more regular first-team football at Dortmund, with star striker Paco Alcacer currently struggling with injuries.
Wherever he goes, a move to the Bundesliga looks to be a positive step in the career of a bright young talent. It will be interesting to watch how his career develops over the next few years.
Who will sign Erling Haaland in the January transfer window?
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