Erling Haaland warned against leaving Borussia Dortmund for one big reason

Matthew Briggs 24 Mar 2021 12:45 PM

Erling Haaland has been warned against a move away from Borussia Dortmund this summer because he is “not the finished product”.

That is the verdict of former Germany star Matthias Sammer, who is now technical adviser to the Bundesliga club.

Haaland is being eyed up by some of Europe’s big guns after another superb goalscoring season. The Norway international has hit 33 goals in 31 games this season for BVB and he has hinted a move could be in the offing this summer.

A 2-2 draw against Cologne on Saturday left Dortmund in danger of missing out on the Bundesliga top four, which would increase the chances of Haaland leaving at the end of the season.

While the striker has given little away on his future, he was questioned about what it would take to prise him away from Dortmund.

“They must want me,” he told VG when asked about the possibility of changing clubs. While he also defended his controversial agent Mino Raiola.

“[He’s] The best agent in the world. He is a nice man,” said Haaland.

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Raiola recently claimed there were only 10 clubs who could afford to sign his man. However, Sammer has urged Haaland to stay put.

“I would recommend for Erling to also see the value of Borussia Dortmund,” Sammer told Sport Bild. “The club has given him a lot. From here, he can only go to a handful of clubs.

“When Erling makes the next step, he must be the finished product, perfect. He is very, very good.

“He must improve some details. Robert was complete when he left for Bayern [on a free transfer in 2014]. It was clear: He went straight into the starting line-up.

“But as a counter-example Ousmane Dembele maybe left for Barcelona a moment too early. Erling is far in his development, but he is not complete.”

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Haaland ‘has the hunger in him’

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have been linked with Haaland in recent weeks. Sammer though, who was sporting executive at Bayern from 2012 to 2016, does not think Bayern will make a move for the player.

“This won’t happen today or tomorrow because Bayern already have Robert Lewandowski,” Sammer said.

Asked to explain the differences between Lewandowski and Haaland, Sammer said: “Erling has other factors. He is more forceful, Lewandowski is smoother. Robert is fast on the distance but does not have as much pace as Erling. Robert has more experience in the tight spaces, because of his career path he has the perfect judgement for situations.

“Robert is absolute world class, Erling is on his way there. He has the hunger in him. I have never seen anything comparable in terms of stats and lust for goals at this age.”

Haaland does have a release clause in his contract, but the €75m buyout can only be triggered in 2022.

However, it looks as though Dortmund may cash in on the player this summer with Raiola eyeing a transfer fee well in excess of £100m.

Erling Haaland