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Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has launched a scathing attack on Manchester City ace Erling Haaland, claiming that he became a liability to Dortmund.
Haaland, who joined Manchester City from Dortmund in July, featured in 89 games for the German outfit during his 2.5-year stay, scoring a whopping 86 goals. The Norway international has successfully maintained his terrific goalscoring run at City, netting 12 times in only eight games across competitions.
As stats show, Haaland certainly pulled his weight during his time at Dortmund. According to Kehl, it was his attitude during the end of his Dortmund spell that made him a burden on the team. Speaking to Sport Bild, Kehl said (via the Daily Mail):
“As much as we have always appreciated Erling and the success he has had with our shirt, in the end the matter had definitely become a burden, both in the dressing room and for the club.
“In general, for the whole environment, it was just him. The timing of the sale was right, both for us and for City. The fact that our first 10 goals this season have been scored by 10 different players proves it.”
It will be interesting to see how the striker responds to Kehl’s comments when Manchester City square off against Dortmund in the Champions League on September 14.
Sebastian Kehl claims that Borussia Dortmund are better off without Manchester City ace Erling Haaland
Sebastian Kehl has no regrets over the timing of Erling Haaland’s departure to Manchester City, but he’s admitted that he would have appreciated a heads up. The German added:
“I would have liked to have been certain (about the Norwegian's departure) a little earlier, because that issue limited our preparation.”
The former defensive midfielder claimed that it ultimately worked out for the best, stating that Dortmund were a more cohesive unit after Haaland’s departure.
He concluded by saying:
“Without him, we have the possibility to trust the other players. The fact that our first ten competitive goals have been scored by ten different players shows that pretty well.”
The former RB Salzburg striker made his Champions League debut for the Cityzens in Tuesday’s (September 6) 4-0 win over Sevilla. He marked the occasion with a brilliant brace, taking his goal tally in the competition to 25 in only 20 games. No player in the history of the competition has scored as many goals in only 20 fixtures.
