Erling Haaland is a Man City 'good deal' but sales prompt 'bad deal' debate

Everyone knew what Erling Haaland was going to do. He has done it before. The rangy, bulldozing, never-off-sides signature of Erling Braut Haaland.

Let's be frank. We're probably going to see that exact goal about 20 times in the next 30 weeks. And for the rest of the Premier League, Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over West Ham on opening day offered a shuddering blueprint to how the rest of the season could unfold: slanted run, pin-perfect pass, pristinely calculated acceleration, insatiable goal-guzzler getting his way. Whether any side can actually combat this blueprint is a different matter entirely.

For City fans, the performance provided some level of assurance. Haaland’s momentary clumsiness in the Community Shield could be put to just that: momentary. On Sunday, the striker was all the 6ft 4ins Nordic meat cleaving prowess that his £51million price tag promised, link-up play included.

READ MORE: Bernardo Silva breaks silence on City future amid Barcelona interest

Whether the Haaland deal alone qualifies City's summer business as a rousing success is subject to myriad factors, like whether the striker's arrival offsets Raheem Sterling's move to Chelsea, Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal and — if it happens — losing Bernardo Silva to Barcelona.

One couldn't help but consider the next level carnage Haaland might have engaged in if both Kevin de Bruyne and Silva were indulging the blistering colossus running ahead of them into space. Selling Silva for a cut price to Barcelona would only make that thought hurt more.

Nevertheless, City's new goal-glutton has Alan Shearer counting down his own goal record on Twitter. The addition of Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United promises to help cut City’s summer window as another clinic