Man City entourage ‘privately mocking’ Man Utd’s Fred after closing on Erling Haaland transfer
Manchester United midfielder Fred is apparently the brunt of Manchester City’s behind-the-scenes jokes following the spectacular purchase of Erling Haaland.
The 21-year-old has joined Pep Guardiola’s team in a blockbuster transfer move, signing a five-year contract worth £400,000 per week, according to Mirror Football.
What makes the transfer even more bizarre is that City only paid £51 million to get Haaland to east Manchester, which is less than what United paid for Fred in 2018.
Shakhtar Donetsk held out for £52 million to sell the Brazilian four years ago, while Borussia Dortmund were hampered by Haaland’s release clause, which had been agreed upon since January 2020 when he was signed from left Red Bull Salzburg.
According to ESPN, Etihad officials have been joking about how much their hated rivals paid for Fred, despite the fact that they won the hottest transfer race in football for a cheaper amount.
Haaland has a staggering 85 goals in 88 games for Dortmund, making him the world’s most wanted striker.
Among other prospective suitors, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich were all mentioned, but Guardiola and co secured his signature in a deal that was finalised on Tuesday after the Norwegian completed a medical.
Unlike Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, City manager Pep Guardiola has yet to comment on the transfer.
“[He’s a] good player,” Klopp said after the Reds’ nail-biting 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. “But City was never and will never be a team that wins games because of one player. I think Erling will realise all of a sudden he will score a lot of goals on the second post, where he just puts a foot in, so he will love that. How much better does he make them? A lot! Unfortunately, he’s a really good signing.”
Jamie Carragher, however, reckons that Haaland’s arrival will not take City to another level. “It makes Man City stronger, of course it does. But I look at it a different way,” Liverpool legend Carragher explained on Sky Sports. “There are so many points you can win in a season. Haaland is not going to elevate City to a different level, they are already at that level of getting 96 to 100 points a season.
“There will be small differences in certain games. You think back to Manchester City’s semi-final defeat to Real Madrid – if Haaland is playing, you would expect City to get through. I’m talking about making the difference there. There is not a huge jump for City to make – they are already at the highest level.
“Consistency-wise, over the last three or four years, they have probably been the best in Europe. It’s just to make a small difference in the biggest of games, such as those against Real Madrid.”
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Man City entourage ‘privately mocking’ Man Utd’s Fred after closing on Erling Haaland transfer
