It took just twelve minutes on the pitch for Erling Haaland to validate his £51m transfer fee and hefty wage demand at Manchester City. The Norwegian striker has been termed as the most lethal striker in Europe over the past two years; with goals measuring up to his number of appearances.
Haaland however has drawn a lot of criticism from fans following his goalless debut match against Liverpool last Saturday. He has however responded to all backslashes ahead of West Ham clash in a press conference interview.
Erling Haaland: “We’ll see about settling in. People can take time, or come directly in. I’m not concerned. That’s life as a footballer – you have to live with it. You are a kind of entertainer, judged every week for what you do on the pitch. You have to deliver, do your best…”
Erling Haaland: “As a striker, this is something I can’t stress about – if you think too much, you might do things you don’t want to. All about trying to enjoy, live in the moment. People talk about what you did a year ago, but it’s the next game that counts.”
Erling Haaland: “As a young player, playing for Pep Guardiola, playing for the best club in England in #ManCity, I have to keep developing and get better at a lot. That’s what I like a lot about football, you can always develop, always get better at the game…”
Erling Haaland: “Part of the game is to get out of your comfort zone, something I’ve been doing and something I like – then you develop more as a human. Chemistry on the pitch with other #ManCity players is something that will come – I don’t know if it will take weeks, months…”
Erling Haaland: “This is something we have to build every day. At this level, you also understand people around you – he is good at this, good at that, he loves to play the ball there. I’m a player that’s hungry for goals, gives 100%, wants to win every game.”
Erling Haaland on playing in the #PL: “I’m looking forward to feeling the atmosphere and rivalry of us against them, fans against each other. I’ve been to a lot of games in England and this is something I’ve always liked a lot. Also the feel of the game, the tempo…”
Erling Haaland: “It’s going to be tough and this is the charming thing about the #PL. It’s a beautiful, hard competition that’s why it’s the most popular league in the world.”
Both opposing and supporting fans would be hoping to see Halaand’s adaptation to Guardiola’s team in the coming season.