Chapter 590: Haaland's Decision
Even though Manchester City had a world-class center-back like Van Dijk, their full-back positions had always been a weakness.
Zabaleta was once one of the best right-backs in the world, but with age, his form had declined. His performance last year wasn't nearly as good as before.
So, during the negotiations with Tottenham over Son Heung-min's transfer, City struck a deal to sign their right-back, Kyle Walker, for €52 million.
Walker was a well-known player with strong skills, having been named in the Premier League Team of the Season.
However, what he was most remembered for was his bizarre free-kick in the second-to-last game of the season, when Tottenham faced Manchester United. His low, driven free-kick sealed Tottenham's fourth-place finish, ending Arsenal's streak of always finishing in the top four.
Many Spurs fans believed that Walker's shot had broken Arsenal, leading to Arsène Wenger's resignation and Arsenal's loss of a Champions League spot.
Since Spurs and Arsenal are fierce rivals, Spurs fans were overjoyed to see their opponents in such a state.
So, when Walker's transfer was announced, Tottenham fans felt a sense of loss. But the thought of €52 million softened the blow.
Levy, that sly fox, never loses in a deal.
He spent €50 million to buy Son from Manchester City but quietly sold their right-back for a higher price, making a €2 million profit in the process. Hats off to him!
But perhaps Levy hadn't thought about where he'd find a replacement for a player as good as Walker.
And selling him to a City team with defensive gaps—wasn't he making the game harder for himself?
With the right-back problem solved, the next target was the left-back.
Kolarov, at 32, was showing signs of decline. He hadn't played much last season, so it was hard to expect much from him.
As for Clichy, although he had played more than Kolarov, he was also 32. Both players could leave City this summer.
So, City needed to find a new left-back.
But finding a good left-back wasn't easy. Guardiola had his eye on Bayern's David Alaba, but Bayern refused to let him go, standing firm in their decision not to sell to City.
Guardiola had to move to his second option, offering £30 million to Chelsea for Spanish international César Azpilicueta.
Unfortunately, Chelsea wasn't willing to sell either.
This summer, Chelsea had already seen several players leave, including their long-time captain John Terry.
After completing some squad cleaning, Antonio Conte wasn't planning any more big changes to his starting lineup. He now wanted to strengthen various positions.
Matić's unexpected departure had already put Chelsea in a difficult spot, and with Conte's insistence, Chelsea likely wouldn't let go of any more key players this summer.
After two failed bids, Guardiola shifted his focus to Monaco's left-back Benjamin Mendy.
Monaco and City had done a lot of business in recent years, so the two clubs were well acquainted.
Being familiar didn't mean Monaco would go easy on them. They immediately demanded €60 million!
The price shocked Guardiola!
Monaco was bold to ask for such a high price. City hadn't even spent that much on Mbappé or Bernardo Silva!
Compared to those two, Mendy wasn't as skilled or famous. Had Monaco lost their mind, asking for such a high price?
Even though City had deep pockets, Guardiola didn't want to overpay. He refused to spend money unnecessarily.
Monaco, knowing City's need, refused to lower their price. Negotiations stalled.
With no other option, Guardiola renewed Clichy's contract for another year, buying time to search for a better option.
Fortunately, Guardiola was planning major tactical adjustments for the new season, focusing on a three-center-back formation. This reduced the importance of the full-backs.
In an emergency, midfielders could fill in as full-backs.
Since they were going to use a three-center-back formation, City needed to strengthen their center-back reserves.
Van Dijk and Stones had formed a good partnership last season and could claim two starting spots.
If former captain Kompany recovered from his injuries, he could rotate into the starting lineup and play about 20 matches a season.
The rest of the matches could be shared with Antonio Rüdiger. With these four players, there shouldn't be many problems.
However, they needed one or two more backups just in case.
At Lin Quan's suggestion, Guardiola brought in 20-year-old Rúben Dias from Benfica's youth academy for €20 million as a backup center-back.
This deal didn't attract much attention, given the small transfer fee and the fact that Dias was a young, untested player. But Benfica had mixed feelings after completing the transfer.
On one hand, they felt like they made a good deal; on the other, they wondered if they had sold too cheaply.
Dias had been with Benfica for ten years, coming through their youth academy. Benfica valued him highly and had planned to promote him to the first team this summer, giving him a chance to prove himself in the Primeira Liga.
But City's offer disrupted their plans.
€20 million is a lot, especially for a 20-year-old with no top-flight experience. It was a hard offer to refuse.
While Dias had potential, Benfica wasn't sure if he could handle playing in the Primeira Liga.
He might thrive and be worth more in the future, but he might also struggle, causing them to miss out on this €20 million.
And City's offer was perfectly timed—just above Benfica's bottom line.
Had the offer been €15 million, Benfica might not have agreed to sell.
But at €20 million, it was hard to say no.
As for Dias himself, he was thrilled at the chance to play for Manchester City.
Compared to the Primeira Liga, the Premier League was a much bigger and more competitive stage.
And City was a true football giant, in terms of power, influence, and wealth, far beyond Benfica.
For a young player, turning down such an offer would be nearly impossible.
Dias excitedly packed his things and reported to his new club as soon as possible.
His excitement didn't last long, though. After being repeatedly outplayed in training, Dias began to question everything.
Was everyone at City a monster?
How could every single one of them be so good at dribbling?
It made sense that he couldn't stop Lin Quan—no one in football could confidently defend against him.
But what about the others?
That 18-year-old French kid had incredible explosiveness, using the same move to get past him every time.
Then there was that older player with the big, fluffy hair—he was fast, had excellent dribbling skills, and great technique. But his moves weren't flashy at all; he just blew by him with pure speed.
It would've been fine if it were only the top or regular players beating him. They were better than him, so losing to them was nothing to be ashamed of.
But after being schooled by the senior players, Dias got destroyed by three 17-year-old academy players, and that shook him.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?
Why is everyone here such a monster?
Mom, I want to go home...
...
Guardiola stood in his office, watching the training ground, and couldn't help but laugh.
The rapid development of the young players in the squad was both exciting and a bit worrying for him.
Although Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland were all just 17, the academy league wasn't helping them grow anymore.
They needed a higher level of competition to improve, but the first team couldn't provide them with enough playing time.
After all, Manchester City's primary goals were to win the league and the Champions League. To achieve these objectives, the team would face many tough battles, and such games weren't the right environment for young players to develop.
So, loaning them out was the best option.
"Sancho was born in March, the oldest of the three and the most talented. He should be able to start at a smaller club in one of the top five leagues. If not, we can lower the loan fee a bit."
Guardiola first arranged Sancho's loan. With his speed, dribbling, shooting, passing, and ambidexterity, he was more of a midfielder than a winger.
Such a player might not be as useful for City's first team, but at a smaller club, he could become the key player.
Guardiola had initially planned to loan Sancho to a La Liga team, where he had some connections.
However, Borussia Dortmund had taken an interest in Sancho. Upon hearing that City was open to a loan deal, they approached the club, hoping to sign a loan contract with an option to buy.
It was rare for a club like Dortmund to actively seek out loan deals.
For them to take the initiative, they clearly had something in mind.
The answer was simple: Dortmund believed in Sancho's potential and saw that City's wings were too competitive for him to secure a spot.
So, if they could bring him in now, there was a good chance they could buy him later.
After tasting success with Dembélé, Dortmund realized the benefits of being a "selling club."
They were now shifting their strategy, focusing on signing and developing young talent, hoping to profit from future sales.
After all, Bayern dominated the Bundesliga, and Dortmund knew they couldn't challenge them for the title. So they might as well accept their place and focus on making money.
With this win-win attitude, Guardiola agreed to Dortmund's request, signing a 1+1 loan deal with them.
Dortmund would loan Sancho for a year, with the option to extend the loan for a second year. If they activated the second year, they would then have the option to buy him at the end of the two years.
Both sides were satisfied with the arrangement. If City had a vacancy in the squad next year, they could recall Sancho.
And Dortmund, knowing that after two years they'd have the option to buy, wouldn't feel like they were working for nothing.
After arranging Sancho's loan, Guardiola turned his attention to Haaland and Foden.
Foden was two months older than Haaland, but with his baby face and small stature, he looked much younger. This made Guardiola hesitate.
Would anyone really want to loan such a young, fragile-looking player?
Even weaker teams might be reluctant to take him.
So, he put aside the idea of loaning out Foden for now and focused on Haaland.
"Haaland, do you want to stay with the team as a backup and wait for opportunities, or would you prefer to go on loan and get more playing time?"
After consulting with Lin Quan, Guardiola decided to ask Haaland for his own opinion.
Haaland had always been a strong-willed person, and his father, Alfie Haaland, often gave him advice, which had greatly helped his career.
Haaland hesitated upon hearing Guardiola's question. He wasn't sure whether to stay or go out on loan.
He said he needed to discuss it with his family before making a decision.
Guardiola nodded, giving him plenty of time to think it over.
"Coach, I want to stay with the team!"
The final decision surprised Guardiola. Haaland chose to stay with City instead of going out on loan to gain more playing time.
This decision caught both Guardiola and Lin Quan off guard. They had both thought that, under his father's advice, the young Haaland would choose a loan move, especially since, at just 17, he was at a crucial stage of development and needed more game time to improve.
Staying at City would make it hard for him to get those minutes.
"Are you sure?"
Guardiola asked again to confirm.
"Yeah, my father suggested I stay. I also want to stay with the team and learn from you and Lin."
Haaland answered with a big smile.
(End of Chapter)
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