When Manchester City triggered Erling Haaland’s release clause in the summer, football fans were aware that the club were landing one of the hottest properties in world football.
In his developing years with Austria’s RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund of Germany, Haaland had been averaging close to the perfect striking ratio of a goal every game.
The Norwegian striker’s arrival has certainly given the club a boost but it’s also filled an important position within the squad.
The Absent Number Nine
In the summer transfer window of 2021, Manchester City embarked on a well-publicised pursuit of the Tottenham Hotspur centre forward Harry Kane. It was a long drawn out process which eventually came to nothing as the England captain chose to remain with his current club.
Kane’s perceived indecision meant that City had no time left in the window to consider other options. As a result, the club played throughout the 2021/22 Premier League season without a recognised striker.
Attacking midfielders Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling were left to carry the bulk of the scoring responsibilities while there were useful contributions around the pitch. There was a striker in the Manchester City squad but Gabriel Jesus was used sparingly and has since departed to Arsenal.
It was a system that clearly worked: Manchester City won the EPL at the end of the campaign but they wanted to move forward with that prolific number nine in their ranks. Erling Haaland fitted the bill and City are now looking even stronger as the 2022/23 season gets underway.
City Tipped for Glory Once Again
Manchester City won on the opening day of the season while their biggest rivals slipped up. The defending champions recorded a 2-0 victory away to West Ham United while Liverpool could only draw away to newly promoted Fulham.
As a result, City have tightened their grip at the top of the outright Premier League winner markets. According to the best football betting sites known in Vietnam as trang cá cược bóng đá, Pep Guardiola’s men now lead their rivals by a significant margin.
Liverpool lead the chasing pack while Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are among the teams battling to catch up. English football is hugely popular in Vietnam but those odds are reflected all around the world. The figures are supplied by sources attached to Asiabet and they will continue to update as the Premier League season progresses.
While readers are assessing any updates, they can also consider news articles and general blog posts that appear here. If they feel that it’s the right time to enter the markets, the Asiabet website allows them to do so.
The coverage extends from Vietnam into the rest of Asia and all over the world. Wherever readers are based, it’s possible to register with a bookmaker providing that online gambling is allowed in their country.
On receipt of a completed registration form, many operators publish a welcome package to get the account underway. There will be funding methods in place which can assist with opening deposits while customer services are on hand if there are any queries.
Moving forward with the account, it may also be possible to access additional promotions while in-play markets and mobile betting via an app should also be available. It’s a perfect partner for Premier League betting but how significant is Manchester City’s capture of Erling Haaland?
Haaland Hits the Ground Running
If there were any lingering doubts as to whether Erling Haaland could carry his prolific form over to England, they were largely dispelled in his very first league game. The Norwegian international scored twice, either side of half time, as his team overcame West Ham by two goals to nil.
The first goal was a penalty but his second showed a real striker’s instinct. Latching on to a through ball from Kevin de Bruyne, Haaland kept his composure and slotted neatly home past the advancing Hammers keeper.
That double strike is just a start but it underlines just what Manchester City fans could expect from Erling Haaland as the 2022/23 season develops. The team played the whole of last season without a recognised number nine and City now look even stronger as they embark on the defence of their Premier League title.