"On our list I think City is the best team" - Erling Haaland's father reveals the seven clubs they considered before joining Manchester City

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Haaland was linked with a host of clubs before joining Manchester City

Alfie Haaland, the father of Manchester City talisman Erling, has given an insight into the thought process that went behind choosing a new club for the Norwegian striker.

Haaland left Borussia Dortmund to join Premier League champions Manchester City in the summer transfer window earlier this year for a reported sum of £54 million.

But naturally, for a player of his caliber, there were quite a few clubs interested in securing his services. In the documentary ‘Haaland – The Big Decision’, Alfie spoke of a point system that they employed before deciding on his son's final destination this summer.

The Cityzens obviously topped their rankings, while Liverpool and Chelsea found a place as well. But there was no mention of Manchester United, who were reportedly keen on signing Haaland while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge.

“On our list, I think City is the best team,” Alfie said in the documentary, which was shot before the move materialized (via Football365).
“[Bayern] Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid as number three, Paris Saint-Germain as number four.
“We also have some English teams other than City who are quite good. Liverpool and Chelsea. Also, there is Barcelona. They are sort of in the same row.”

He further added that City made the cut by just 'one point' after 'last calculations'.

“I think it was one point separating the top two with the last calculations,” he said.
“One of the criteria is about whether the club needs a No9. City is 10 [out of 10] in that respect. Bayern Munich gets one point for that – they don’t need a No.9. They have their best player as a No.9 but if he [Lewandowski] goes then they have no one else.
“It would have been quite controversial to go to Munich but when we go through, it’s one of the best teams. Real Madrid are a five or six [out of 10]. They have [Karim] Benzema, and will they get Mbappé?”

“I have never transferred to a club because of the manager” - Erling Haaland on his Manchester City move

After all the calculations, Erling eventually joined Manchester City. In the same documentary, he claimed that the manager didn't play a part in his move to Manchester, but went on to label Pep Guardiola as the best in the world.

“I have never transferred to a club because of the manager.” Haaland said. “But it is a big plus with [Pep] Guardiola at City, as he is the best manager in the world.”

The Norway international started life at the Etihad in incredible fashion. He has already scored 14 goals for Manchester City in just 10 appearances across competitions.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava