Erling Haaland has renewed his contract with Manchester City. This extends his contract to 2034 which was set to expire in 2027. He hopes to break Allan Shearer’s goal-scoring record of 260 goals.
Barca’s dream of signing the superstar shattered
The Norwegian striker has been on the radar of FC Barcelona for a while now, his contract renewal means Barca will have to look for alternatives in the market.
The perfect heir to Lewandowski’s throne
Robert Lewandowski‘s performances under Hansi Flick have been clinical and convincing. However, you have to realize that he is not a young player and he’s reaching the end of his career. Barca can not expect the Polish striker to keep putting up consistent performances.
I don’t think Erling Haaland is a striker that fits in the Barca playstyle. As a striker, to play for Barca, you have to be equally good out of position, a transitional threat, and hold up play as you are with finishing. Haaland did not check all those boxes. A striker that I think is more aligned with the Barca way and is going under the radar is Alexander Isak.
Being influential out of position
A Barca striker must be influential not just in the box but out of position too. This means he often has to drop deep to help the midfield by creating a numerical advantage. Barcelona centre-backs often find their striker through a direct long ball along the pitch so Barca’s no.9 has to be good at hold-up play. Isak fits this role as he is influential out of position and often helps out Newcastle with his technical abilities.
An underrated striker
The Swedish striker has put up some impressive numbers in his career that have gone under the radar. At Real Sociedad, he scored 17 goals in the 20/21 season and 21 goals for Newcastle last season. Both the teams did not finish in the top 4 which makes these numbers even more impressive.
Not a traditional no.9?
Despite being 1.9m Isak is an excellent dribbler, someone who can receive the ball from his midfield and turn away from defenders to score. His qualities on the ball do not compromise his movement inside the box. He is an intelligent player who can find space to be an option inside the box. Also a very fast player which can be a very good asset for Flick’s demand of intensity.
