David Ornstein has been speaking on the latest edition of The Athletic’s The Ornstein & Chapman Podcast about various topics from the world of football.
One of the topics that Ornstein spent some time on was Erling Haaland and his future.
Manchester City have been heavily linked with a move for the 20-year-old, but Pep Guardiola insisted last week that his side don’t have the money to go out and buy an expensive striker, and it seems as if they will not be in the race for Haaland.
Ornstein said: “I don’t think it was just a public play from Pep’s perspective; I was being told on really good authority that they’re not in this mix this summer.
“If that proves to be true, it will be fascinating, not just for his situation, but who, if anyone, they do end up going for because I think they will pursue an attacker, despite what Pep said.”
Do you think this is a wise move?
No, we should be all over this deal
Yes, we don't need him
TIF Thoughts on Haaland and City…
With Sergio Aguero departing the Etihad at the end of the season, leaving only Gabriel Jesus as a natural forward, you might have thought that City would be intent on bringing Haaland in, given his ridiculous goal-scoring record for Borussia Dortmund.
However, if Ornstein is right, the club will not be pursuing Haaland.
Now, we think that given his age and his ability already that would be a huge mistake and many clubs are keen on him, so we will have to see what happens in the summer.
You could argue that City don’t actually need Haaland; they have barely had Aguero all season and are 14 points clear at the top of the Premier League, so you can also see why City may not want to get involved in a bidding war for Haaland, but we still feel that he would be the ideal player for City.
In other news: ‘The understanding is’ – Max Rushden drops claim on big player news at Man City