Manchester City signed Erling Haaland on a five-year deal from Borussia Dortmund to bolster their Premier League title defence and push for the Champions League next season, but Hugh Woozencroft claims Pep Guardiola doesn’t think the 21-year-old is a better player than Harry Kane.
The popular host said on The Game Football Podcast: “This was smart money, but I don’t know Pep Guardiola thinks he’s a better player than Harry Kane. But he has the longevity and Guardiola has the ability to mould him better than Kane.”
Guardiola pushed hard to sign Kane from Tottenham last summer and ended up turning his attentions elsewhere. The 28-year-old went on to score 17 goals with nine assists from 37 Premier League games as Spurs sealed Champions League football.
Man City didn’t have a player who managed more than 15 goals (Kevin De Bruyne) or eight assists (De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus), however, so they moved quickly to sign a prolific striker.
While Guardiola’s men won the title without replacing Sergio Aguero, their strikerless formation presented challenges in certain matches against a low block, so having Haaland as a focal point could help them pick teams apart.
The Norwegian international is not the finished article and isn’t as effective a playmaker as Kane, however, so Woozencroft’s claim is fair. Paying £51m for Haaland is more business savvy than £150m for Kane who’s seven years his senior though.
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