Why Chelsea and Real Madrid turned down the chance to sign Erling Haaland

Manchester City announced the signing of Erling Haaland on Tuesday evening, revealing that they had agreed to pay the release clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract.

He will move to the Etihad this summer, earning wages thought to be around £375,000 per week in the process, and Pep Guardiola and co. will be hoping that he can fire them to an elusive Champions League trophy.

‘Manchester City can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022’, the club revealed.

Manchester City can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022.

The transfer remains subject to the Club finalising terms with the player.

— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 10, 2022

But, it was somewhat odd that the man who was supposed to be at the centre of a transfer frenzy ended up having his future decided so tamely and quietly. And now, ESPN have revealed why.

Why Chelsea and Real Madrid turned down Haaland

Now, as per ESPN’s ‘sources’, Chelsea chose not to pursue him amid concerns that his style of play may not be suited to the Premier League. When asked to elaborate, they revealed that this was because ‘there’s less space for forward players to attack and run into, compared with the Bundesliga.’

Chelsea, of course, have learned this lesson the hard way, with Timo Werner excelling in Germany but having struggled since his big money move to Stamford Bridge, with 23 goals in 89 games for the Blues.

MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 12: Timo Werner of Chelsea FC celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two match between Real Madrid and Chelsea FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 12, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

But, Chelsea were not alone in their reservations. The report continues that ‘recruitment staff at Barcelona reported back that they had reservations about his personality and character. Real Madrid, according to sources, took issue with his injury record — he’s missed 17 club games this season mainly because of muscular problems — although there’s an acceptance from the Spanish club that it didn’t put them off completely.’

It could be a decision that all parties come to regret.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City	35	68	86
2	Liverpool FC	36	65	86
3	Chelsea FC	35	39	67
4	Arsenal FC	35	14	66
5	Tottenham Hotspur	35	20	62
6	Manchester United	37	1	58
7	West Ham United	36	11	55
8	Wolverhampton Wanderers	35	1	50
9	Brighton & Hove Albion	36	-4	47
10	Crystal Palace	35	4	44
11	Aston Villa	35	-1	43
12	Brentford FC	36	-8	43
13	Newcastle United	36	-21	43
14	Leicester City	34	-7	42
15	Southampton FC	36	-20	40
16	Everton FC	34	-19	35
17	Burnley FC	35	-17	34
18	Leeds United	35	-35	34
19	Watford FC	35	-38	22
20	Norwich City	35	-53	21

Player	Team	Goals
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	22
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	20
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	18
Jota, Diogo	Liverpool FC	15
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	15
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	13
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace	13
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	12
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City	12
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	11
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	11
Mahrez, Riyad	Manchester City	11
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	10
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	10
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	10
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	10
Pukki, Teemu	Norwich City	10
Raphinha	Leeds United	10
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	10
Smith-Rowe, Emile	Arsenal FC	10

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Brownhill, Josh	Burnley FC	0	10
Bednarek, Jan	Southampton FC	0	10
Tarkowski, James	Burnley FC	0	10
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	10
Firpo, Junior	Leeds United	0	10
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	0	9
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	0	9
Neves, Ruben	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	9
Mings, Tyrone	Aston Villa	0	9
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	8
Mctominay, Scott	Manchester United	0	9
Salisu, Mohammed	Southampton FC	0	8
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	0	8
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	0	7
Richarlison	Everton FC	0	8
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	1	7
Alonso, Marcos	Chelsea FC	0	8
Moreno, Rodrigo	Leeds United	0	8
McGinn, John	Aston Villa	0	8
Cash, Matty	Aston Villa	0	8

Player	Team	Assists
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	13
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	12
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	10
Robertson, Andy	Liverpool FC	10
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	9
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	9
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	9
Jesus, Gabriel	Manchester City	8
Kulusevski, Dejan	Tottenham Hotspur	8
Cancelo, Joao	Manchester City	8
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	7
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	7
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	7
Barnes, Harvey	Leicester City	7
Mbeumo, Bryan	Brentford FC	7
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	6
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	6
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	6
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	6
Benrahma, Said	West Ham United	6