Erling Haaland questions recognise instant impact of Man City signing

Manchester City expected that Pep Guardiola would take them to a next level as a club but they were given early evidence of this on their first pre-season tour when the manager slipped away to do some commercial work. Here was a coach that was recognised across the world for his talent that global brands were paying significant fees to be associated with him.

Much of the success achieved by Guardiola at the Etihad has been down to recruitment, the signing of players who will not just perform on the pitch but won't rock the dressing room. When you compare the current squad to their Old Trafford neighbours, it is like chalk and cheese.

Erling Haaland is very likely City's biggest signing since they landed Guardiola; they have had many wonderful players at the club and still do, yet the phenomenon of Haaland is such that he is the exception to Txiki Begiristain's rule in already being a global superstar before he arrives. Just as Catalan and Spanish journalists relocated to Manchester when the manager came in 2016, this summer a number of Norwegian publications are putting measures in place to cover Haaland up close on a weekly basis.

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The buzz around Haaland can also be found in the first interviews with new signings conducted by club media this summer. While last year Harry Kane spoke openly on Gary Neville's show of a desire to play with Kevin De Bruyne, City new boys Stefan Ortega Moreno and Kalvin Phillips have been asked about linking up with their new striker.

They will not be the only Blues asked, simply because of what a massive deal Haaland is. That isn't to be disrespectful to De Bruyne, or to Bernardo Silva, or anybody else, but it is just a fact that the