Erling Haaland

[Atomiswave 6,117]

14 hours ago, Vesper said:

Pep is going nowhere and if not Citeh, Håland will go to Barca

Real is going to move for Mbappe

Well he fucking should, but yeah why would he, they eat from his hand and he can buy buy buy till kingdom come.

7 hours ago, Blues Forever said:

City will only fall if UAE abandon them, so basically it won't happen anytime soon.

Obviously that will never happen, its their new play thing. Lets see what uefa has in store regarding the new ffp system.

[Vesper 30,081]

Erling Haaland could cost £400m over five years: what would a superstar for the TikTok generation earn a club in return?

https://theathletic.com/2513577/2021/04/13/erling-haaland-could-cost-400m-over-five-years-is-he-worth-it-we-do-the-maths/

“With these prices it’s impossible,” said Pep Guardiola at the start of this month, firing the starting gun of brinkmanship over the future of Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland. “We cannot afford it. That’s not going to happen. All the clubs struggle financially, and we are not an exception.”

Manchester City, Guardiola wanted us to believe, cannot make a deal for Haaland happen this summer. The numbers are too big, the demands too high. And if Manchester City, whose annual wage bill soared to £351 million in their latest set of accounts, are wincing at the figures attached to Haaland’s signature, what hope for everyone else?

As his agent Mino Raiola said in an interview with The Athletic last month, “Haaland is the talk of the town” heading into the summer transfer window. Chelsea have a long-standing interest in the forward, as do Manchester United and, of course, City.

The elite are jostling for position. Barcelona and Real Madrid have even had the Raiola sales pitch, while reports in Spain have hinted at the numbers in play.

A salary of €30 million per year after tax was mooted, suggesting any suitor in the Premier League would have to find close to £1 million a week to land Haaland. Or £142,000 a day, give or take a few pence.

No player in English football comes close to those wages, not even Kevin De Bruyne on his new Manchester City contract signed last week. Lionel Messi, according to details leaked in Spain, commands a base salary of €61.3 million on a Barcelona contract due to expire this summer, making him the highest-paid footballer in the world. Bonuses and image rights bump the figure up higher still.

Then there is the transfer fee for Haaland, likely to top £150 million this summer for those unwilling to wait until a release clause kicks in 12 months later. And the agent fees to Raiola. All told, a five-year deal for Haaland could require a commitment of £400 million. Newcastle United, the Premier League club perennially up for sale, can be bought for significantly less.

A flood of money would exit any club signing the 20-year-old this summer and, unquestionably, would represent an almighty financial gamble. Not since Kylian Mbappe joined Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco in 2018 for £163 million has there been a deal to come close to the £198 million the same buyers had spent luring Neymar from Barcelona 12 months earlier.

Raiola has previously said only 10 clubs could even contemplate signing Haaland this summer. The reality, in this financially-straightened age of COVID-19, means the number is smaller still.

Haaland will undeniably be expensive but whoever is bold enough to push the button will hope the money is eventually well spent. Success and silverware would see the outlay clawed back chunk by chunk, in turn driving up commercial revenue. There could, after all, be a method in the madness.

“The difference between getting out of the group stages of the Champions League and winning it is worth around £50 million in a season for additional prize money,” says Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert. “Then you’ve got sponsor bonuses, match-day returns and then the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

“If Haaland came in and delivered once or twice, in terms of the Champions League, then financially you’d get quite a lot in return for your investment. With Manchester City as well, that’s very much the prize they’re after.”

---

Haaland’s value this summer owes as much to his potential as his current talent. Not 21 until July, he is likely to have well over a decade at the highest level before his age becomes a concern.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, this generation’s undoubted megastars, will soon be on their way out at the back end of gilded careers. Neymar, 30 next year, is another possibly past the peak of his powers.

That leaves a 22-year-old Mbappe and Haaland as the obvious rising forces, a marketing meal ticket for those fortunate enough to call them their own. He could be European football’s blue-eyed boy for years and years to come.

Patience, though, will be needed.

“The commercial benefit of signing a player at Haaland’s level, probably not at the elite global level for fame, wouldn’t come instantly,” says Dan Haddad, head of commercial strategy at Octagon, a sports, music and entertainment agency.

“With the outlay that’s going to be required this summer, it would be very hard to make a case that some of that will be offset by immediate commercial revenue growth.

“If he does have a high impact on a team’s performance then you get the benefits later down the line. So, let’s say he signs a five-year deal. The first year you might not see a commercial upside but if a team goes on a journey with him and has success, then you’ll see commercial growth.”

Haaland’s signing, in short, can only pay for itself should he go on and lift trophies with his next team. The Norway international is the long-term investment. Not, like Juventus signing Ronaldo in 2018, an instant hit as a global icon.

“Can an individual player truly give a competitive advantage that secures a deal for one club over another? There are few players that have that great an impact,” adds Haddad.

“With Juventus and Ronaldo, we did see an impact. Brands that might not have chosen to partner with Juventus or go into Serie A began to go there. A brand might’ve been speaking to three or four clubs and the fact Ronaldo was at Juventus nudges that over the line.

“The same is obviously true with Messi and Barcelona. You could also say PSG have punched above their weight commercially given the limitations of the French league. That’s a collective of players, especially since Neymar has gone there as well.

“If you accept it takes a Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar for a brand to choose one club over another, I don’t believe Haaland is at that level. I couldn’t see a brand picking Man City, for example, just because Haaland has gone there. I don’t think Haaland is at that level currently.”

Shirt sales, so often cited as a chance to help fund a signing, would also bring negligible reward. The structure of deals with kit manufacturers leaves each club earning roughly £5 for every shirt sold. Cigarette-packet maths would suggest 200,000 shirts would have to be sold just to cover a week of Haaland’s wages.

On-field success would be the only means of vindicating the move for Haaland. His marketability would develop in line with the heights his new team reaches, in theory establishing him among football’s best-known players.

Where does Haaland currently stand in that hierarchy, less than 16 months after joining Borussia Dortmund from Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg?

A long way behind Messi and Ronaldo but making an increasing imprint, according to the Fan Intelligence Network, a digital platform designed for brands to best understand culturally-led fanbases. It monitors the views of over “11,000 of the most culturally influential sports fans in the world”.

Fan Intelligence says Haaland’s popularity is already clear, particularly among fans aged 25 and under. He is the undoubted poster boy for Generation Z. Although Haaland is the most discussed footballer for under-25s, he was only the 12th-most spoken about player with fans above that age bracket.

“There is a feeling that he is the perfect superstar for a TikTok era,” said Owen Laverty, director of Fan Intelligence. “His highlights on the pitch are exceptional, and his comments and interviews are perfect for snapping and sharing online.

“A lack of reach outside of football fans can be expected as he has not yet won any major titles, nor been featured in any large, global marketing campaigns.

“Interestingly, what is unique to Erling is the speed of social media follower growth at this stage in his career. We have only seen this matched by Kylian Mbappe, and he had won a World Cup and three league titles by the time he was 20. So for a player to be driving this level of interest and conversation, despite having not ‘won anything’, is pretty exceptional.”

One factor potentially working against the long-term marketability of Haaland is his nationality. Unlike Mbappe, who will almost certainly have the chance to feature in major tournaments throughout his career with France, Norway have not reached a World Cup finals since 1998.

There are calls in Haaland’s homeland for Norway to boycott Qatar 2022 owing to the poor human rights record of the next hosts, but already their involvement appears unlikely in a qualification group involving Holland and Turkey.

Haaland was part of a Norway side that wore t-shirts saying “Human rights, on and off the pitch” before a World Cup qualifier against Gibraltar last month.

“As a generation of fans who are in tune with, and aware of social justice, conservationism, human rights, they have been wondering where he stands on these issues,” says Laverty.

“The likes of Marcus Rashford have tapped into this sentiment, and he is now referenced by fans in Asia, Africa and Latin America, markets he didn’t necessarily have a big profile before, as a modern athlete.

“Should Erling start to speak more about the things that matter to him, and demonstrate he is a star that understands the next generation of fans — who will dictate his own fame — then we could see him go to another stratosphere as an off-field superstar.”

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How Haaland is perceived in the slick offices of a marketing company, though, would count for little if he was to continue his goalscoring habits in the Champions League. No player has ever been quicker to the 20-goal mark in European football’s primary competition. It took Haaland just 14 games, 10 fewer than Harry Kane, the previous best.

That — and little else — is what sets the pricing bar so astronomically high. If Haaland is that good at 20, how good might he be in another five years? That mouthwatering question is what casts Raiola as the Pied Piper, with a string of clubs preparing to dance to his next tune.

The Premier League would dearly love to have Haaland. “Can Chelsea physically afford him? The answer is yes,” says Maguire. “There’s always the spectre of financial fair play to take into consideration but we don’t know where that’s headed. We know (owner Roman) Abramovich has the money should he choose to sanction it.

“Chelsea and Manchester City are two clubs that could afford him in theory. Manchester United as well. Tottenham theoretically could but they won’t, of course. Their wage bill is substantially behind its peers. Liverpool would find it more challenging because (owners) FSG are more interested in bottom lines than trophies. Arsenal are trailing behind those now. Realistically, there are not too many options for Haaland in the Premier League.”

It leaves Europe’s usual suspects. Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich alongside England’s biggest hitters, all wondering if Haaland is worth the enormous financial investment this summer.

One report from market analyst KPMG recently suggested Europe’s top 20 clubs have lost €1 billion in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manchester City alone posted losses of £126 million in their accounts for 2019-20, published last week.

“If it’s around the £30 million net mark that they’re looking for in wages, that’s £50 million gross,” adds Maguire. “I can’t see anybody paying that in the present market. It far exceeds what we’re seeing presently.”

Perhaps Guardiola, whose Manchester City side face Haaland’s Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday night, was right after all.

[Vesper 30,081]

Just for reference, btw, Eden is making around £407K PW gross at Real Madrid

so 5 years total wage cost basis for him is around £106m versus Håland at £250m or so

staggering difference

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

15 hours ago, Vesper said:

Just for reference, btw, Eden is making around £407K PW gross at Real Madrid

so 5 years total wage cost basis for him is around £106m versus Håland at £250m or so

staggering difference

It's madness. Even if he wins the CL 5 times how can he offset a 400m investment on his own? Now is not the time for such mega deals and even Raiola has to accept that reality.

I doubt Haaland will ever be such a big marketing hit. Pulisic e.g. will generate a lot more overall marketing revenue than Haaland IMO.

[Vesper 30,081]

13 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

It's madness. Even if he wins the CL 5 times how can he offset a 400m investment on his own? Now is not the time for such mega deals and even Raiola has to accept that reality.

I doubt Haaland will ever be such a big marketing hit. Pulisic e.g. will generate a lot more overall marketing revenue than Haaland IMO.

Well, if all 5.4 million Norwegians each buy 200 quid worth of Real clobber...................

and if the profit margin is 25% 

they have paid his salary + 20m quid to that nice man Mino just for smiling and laughing all the way to his Swiss bank in his brand new Bugatti Divo!

lololol

[killer1257 3,282]

He does not offer much else when he does not score goals and he is clearly very dependent on his teammates giving him good passes. He is currently nowhere near Mbappe level because even when Mbappe does not score, he is always involved in the game and always dribbles past players or makes good passes to his teammates. 

Haaland is basically a white Drogba, who reached his prime earlier, but even prime Drogba at 32 years old offered more than just goals. His hold up play was much more solid and elegant, while Haaland has a good hold up play, but it is still very raw. Drogba's link up play was much better and he also had very underrated passing abilities. Unlike most strikers, prime Drogba was able to play some good through balls. I almost watched every game of Haaland's in recent weeks and I do not see what makes him worth 150 million Euros. Yes, he will score hundreds of goals at Man Sheikhy, but they have KDB and other world class passers. Yes, he would score hundreds of goals at PSG because of Neymar, Di Maria and Verratti. But he will struggle at Chelsea. 

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

I thought Haaland's hold up play was very good. Dortmund's defence and midfield let them down. 

[chippy 342]

Not worth anything like the money and wages being quoted for him and certainly not suited to the way we play. 

Having a hot streak in a pretty shit league. Move on and wait for a better value player.

 

 

 

[DDA 9,924]

3 hours ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I thought Haaland's hold up play was very good. Dortmund's defence and midfield let them down. 

He was walking around like he didn't give a flying fuck. He didn't press when the player was 2m away from him. Really disappointing attitude to have. Mbappe is lightyears ahead in ability and mentality.

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

52 minutes ago, chippy said:

Not worth anything like the money and wages being quoted for him and certainly not suited to the way we play. 

Having a hot streak in a pretty shit league. Move on and wait for a better value player.

People going to forget about what he has already achieved because of a wee bad spell on a average Dortmund team? I suppose Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho aren’t good players either then and shouldnt be considered? 

Christian Pulisic is also an example that having a bad run of games/few months in Germany (the season we signed him) doesn’t mean your a poor player, the fickleness in here is actually incredible.

Is he worth the money and wages? Lets be real no player is worth those sums. Is he a once in a generation talent who will go on and become world class in the next 2/3/4 seasons and be one of the best in his position? Absolutely. 

A hot streak? Do you hear yourself? He has scored 20 CL goals already aged 20.... He has scored 43 goals in 46 games for club and country this season. It must be the longest hot streak in history because he has scored like 120 goals in 160 odd games as a pro with like 80 of these being in the last 4 seasons.... good god. 

Edited April 15, 2021 by OneMoSalah

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

32 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

People going to forget about what he has already achieved because of a wee bad spell on a average Dortmund team? I suppose Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho aren’t good players either then and shouldnt be considered? 

Our fans are the worst at this I've noticed. 

[Atomiswave 6,117]

44 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

People going to forget about what he has already achieved because of a wee bad spell on a average Dortmund team? I suppose Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho aren’t good players either then and shouldnt be considered? 

Christian Pulisic is also an example that having a bad run of games/few months in Germany (the season we signed him) doesn’t mean your a poor player, the fickleness in here is actually incredible.

Is he worth the money and wages? Lets be real no player is worth those sums. Is he a once in a generation talent who will go on and become world class in the next 2/3/4 seasons and be one of the best in his position? Absolutely. 

A hot streak? Do you hear yourself? He has scored 20 CL goals already aged 20.... He has scored 43 goals in 46 games for club and country this season. It must be the longest hot streak in history because he has scored like 120 goals in 160 odd games as a pro with like 80 of these being in the last 4 seasons.... good god. 

He is good and will likely get better with the right setup and management etc.......but too much bagage and too much money.