“It’s about facts”
“Team Haaland” theater just strange
By Stephan Uersfeld
03/06/2022, 18:21
Erling Haaland is a very good footballer. Already upon his arrival in Dortmund in January 2020 it is clear that he will not stay forever. He’s too good for that. It is therefore all the more remarkable that he and the “Team Haaland” who have gathered around him are now leaving scorched earth in Dortmund.
Good news for “Team Haaland”: The superstar from Borussia Dortmund is still one of the hottest stocks on the transfer market. The clubs are scrambling for the Norwegian striker and he is still under strong suspicion of not wanting to fulfill his contract with the Bundesliga club, which runs until 2024. What nobody expected anyway outside of the dreams of BVB managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke. Especially since he can draw a release clause of 75 million this summer.
This is now also suggested by the latest statements by journalist and ex-soccer player Jan-Aage Fjörtoft, who is close to Erling-Haaland. “Don’t underestimate the detailed work that Team Haaland is now doing to clarify Haaland’s situation for the coming season,” tweeted the Norwegian: “If he leaves Dortmund, it’s more about facts than emotions. Spain and England seem the most likely , with the usual suspects at the helm. Don’t believe some clubs’ spin.”
Another weekend full of rumors followed. Real Madrid planned to seek talks with Borussia Dortmund and possibly park Haaland for another season at BVB. And once there was wild speculation about the player’s direct negotiations with Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez. The two are said to have met less by chance in Munich last week.
Raiola’s facade player
“We at Barca don’t negotiate with a player. When we negotiate, it’s with Borussia Dortmund,” said the president of the financially ailing Catalans, Joan Laporta, responding to the speculation and stressing that he didn’t want to talk about players at all for fear of price gouging . And therefore also not about Noussair Mazraoui.
According to the Spanish newspaper “Sport”, the 24-year-old right-back from Ajax Amsterdam should play an important role in the Haaland transfer. How so? Because the Moroccan international is also represented by Mino Raiola. And Barcelona’s chances would increase if Barcelona were now also interested in this player, as we read that Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are already doing.
The powerful player agent is in a way the head of Team Haaland and clearly enjoys having one of the most sought-after players in the world in his stable. And then there are a few other stars, such as Mazraoui or the only 19-year-old Ajax midfield star Ryan Gravenberch, who may now be used as a helpful facade or leverage in the fight for Haaland.
As the statements by Oliver Kahn this weekend showed. The Bayern CEO confirmed talks with Raiola, but did not want to reveal any further details and, like Barcelona President Laporta, did not want to talk about Haaland. The justification was different. He is so reluctant to talk about players from other clubs and Haaland is someone “who plays for Borussia Dortmund”.
Inhuman pressure
BVB supporters have long since come to terms with the fact that this will not be the case for much longer. Nevertheless, they doubt whether Haaland is still one “who plays for Borussia Dortmund.” The Norwegian was last on the pitch on January 22, 2022. Since then, as has often been the case this season, he has been struggling with muscular problems that are unlikely to be due to the inhuman pressure that the club is putting on the pitiable superstar.
“The club are trying to put pressure on me, urging me to make a decision. All I really want to do is play football, but they’re pushing me to make a decision about my future. And that means I’ll have to make a decision soon,” he said Haaland explained after beating Freiburg 5-1 in a fascinating interview with Jan-Aage Fjörtoft.
The interview seemed like a staging by Team Haaland, whose press spokesman Fjörtoft is described by some as disrespectful. A little later, Haaland did not want to deepen the criticism of BVB in an interview that was sold to numerous TV stations and of course conducted by Fjörtoft. But at least he had good news for BVB fans. “I’ll be back soon,” he announced in late January. Yet he was never gone. Just not on the pitch anymore. But everyone’s thoughts were with him and his “Team Haaland”. Increasingly annoyed.