Jamie Carragher sceptical over Erling Haaland to Man City deal due to Guardiola

Jamie Carragher is sceptical over whether Erling Haaland moving to Manchester City would be a good fit – because of Pep Guardiola.

The Norwegian is set to be the hottest property of the summer, with agent Mino Raiola speaking to several clubs about the 20-year-old.

And City, who are set for the Premier League title and a first-ever Champions League final, have been hotly linked due to his high price.

But Carragher, who has covered Haaland regularly for CBS on their Champions League coverage, believes it may not be a match made in heaven.

Writing in his Telegraph column, the pundit said: “I have stated before that if Guardiola had taken over Manchester United in 2016, or any other club with similar resources, they – not Manchester City – would be celebrating multiple Premier League title wins in the years since.

“That is down to the coaching, not just massive spending, with Guardiola and his recruitment staff identifying the right characteristics rather than joining auctions for the most coveted, superstar players.

“That’s one of the reasons why I am sceptical as to whether Guardiola will sign Erling Haaland for a record fee.

“It could be that Haaland is too good to ignore, but having started to perfect his formula of a ‘team of midfielders’, that would demand a tactical compromise.”

Guardiola’s side have scored 119 goals in 56 games this season, starting out-and-out forwards Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero 28 and seven times respectively.

Carragher added: “Since he joined City, we have seen how ambivalent Guardiola is about what we consider a typical No9.

“He demanded more outside the penalty area from [Sergio] Agüero, often prepared to leave him out of the biggest fixtures.

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    • “Would Guardiola seek to replace him with an out-and-out goalscorer whose status and fee demands selection every week?”

    Haaland has scored 37 goals in 38 games this season, making it 108 senior goals for club and country since 2016.

    READ MORE:Erling Haaland poised to become first £1m-a-week footballer as transfer race hots up

    READ MORE:Man City dealth Erling Haaland blow after Dortmund chief's Raiola claim

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