Breaking News: Erling Haaland became ‘dressing room burden’ after Pep Guardiola dropped transfer hint

Erling Haaland became a “burden” after comments Pep Guardiola made (Image: AFP)

Erling Haaland’s transfer to Manchester City appears to have been hindered by the controversy surrounding him back in 2022, making him a liability for Dortmund.

In his last few months at Dortmund, Erling Haaland became into a “burden on the dressing room,” particularly after Pep Guardiola made a major hint that he intended to sign him.

Towards the close of the 2021–2022 season, the Norwegian goal machine was in the headlines nonstop, and the BVB locker room was under pressure from the constant rumours.

After spending two and a half years at the Westfalenstadion, Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 games, which made the world’s greatest clubs eager to recruit him. In addition, his contract had a fairly handy £51 million release clause.

The race for his signature was eventually won by Manchester City in May 2022, but not before they initiated a charm offensive that started over a year earlier. As early as June 2021, Guardiola publicly showered Haaland with praise, telling media he was among the finest available.

The Spaniard declared, “The numbers speak for themselves.” “He’s undoubtedly among the top attackers in the world at his age right now. I believe that everyone is aware of this player’s calibre.

Sebastian Kehl, the sporting director of Dortmund, stated that the noise around the star forward had become bothersome both internally and externally, and he even implied that the club was relieved to have Haaland leave. This was just a few weeks after Haaland’s departure.

“As much as we have always appreciated Erling and the success he has had with our shirt, in the end, the matter had definitely become a burden, both in the dressing room and for the club,” he told Bild, a German media site. “Generally, it was just him for the entire setting. The transaction occurred at the ideal time for City and for us.”

In his debut season at the Etihad Stadium, Haaland went on to score an incredible 52 goals, which helped Guardiola’s team complete an unprecedented treble. After that, in Haaland’s second season, the team won the Premier League for a record-tying fourth time, with the former Molde striker hitting 38 goals across all competitions.

Dortmund were quite happy to part ways with Erling Haaland in the end, according to Sebastian Kehl ( Image: REUTERS)

Dortmund, meanwhile, has been doing fairly well ever since Haaland left. At the end of the 2022–2023 season, they were tied with Bayern Munich for the most points, but they cruelly missed out on winning the Bundesliga due to goal differential.

Although Edin Terzic’s team finished disappointingly in fifth place in the domestic standings the previous season, they did make it to the Champions League final, where Real Madrid defeated them 2-0.