The Erling Haaland sweepstakes have officially begun. He’s the world’s most sought after player in recent memory and his recruitment is already beginning to reflect this. European football hasn’t seen a transfer target this coveted since Eden Hazard back in 2012 and even then, Haaland’s a much bigger deal than the Belgian. Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo were promptly scooped up by their respective clubs, so there wasn’t much competition on those ends. Therefore, we’re headed for seemingly uncharted waters and Chelsea is caught in the riptide.
The Blues are one of the many teams in the running for Haaland. Although every club in the world will claim they are interested—rightfully so—only a handful can fulfill his dreams. Chelsea is facing direct competition from Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona, and that’s just the clubs we know are interested. Manchester United, PSG, Juventus and even Bayern Munich, despite saying it wasn’t interested, can still make a push. The likelihood of the Blues winning that battle to begin with was slim to none, but now that the theatrics have begun, it’s time for them to pull out of the race.
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Part of the reason there has been a major doubt cast on Chelsea’s ability to secure Haaland’s services in the first place is those around the striker. His father played for both Leeds United and Manchester City during his time in England, so it’s safe to assume he does not like the Blues one bit. That’s not as significant as it may seem in his son’s case, but it does make the Citizens heavy favorites in the Premier League given the soft spot Alf-Inge Haaland has for his former employer.
Further, Chelsea seemingly refuses to do business with Mino Raiola, Haaland’s agent. Raiola—as seen by the Paul Pogba saga—is as scummy as they come. He cares not about loyalty or anything other than money. Raiola is driven by greed, something the Blues found out when he undermined Romelu Lukaku’s transfer to Stamford Bridge, instead offering him up to Manchester United. Lukaku later fired Raiola, but the damage is done, Chelsea hasn’t dealt with the agent since then.
Why are Raiola and Haaland important to Chelsea’s pursuit of the young striker?
As the season winds down and the in-demand striker prepares for the Champions League quarterfinals, those close to him are going to work. Raiola and the elder Haaland are now beginning their recruiting tour across Europe, having visited with Barcelona and Real Madrid on Thursday. This dog and pony show is set to go on for months, despite Dortmund expressing its unwillingness to sell for anything less than €150 million.
Simply put, when Raiola comes to England in the coming weeks, the Blues should lock the doors to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea doesn’t need to stoop down to the agent’s petty levels of wanting to be pampered over a striker the club was already not going to get. Haaland is a generational talent and anybody who knows football would take him in a heartbeat. Nevertheless, getting dragged around by Raiola on a leash for three months, only to miss out on Haaland, would be embarrassing. Roman Abramovich, Marina Granovskaia and the rest of the Chelsea hierarchy have more dignity than that. When it’s all said and done, Haaland will end up in the place that pampers his agent and offers him the most money—not the club he truly wants to represent.
While the rest of Europe is fawning over the Norwegian wonderkid, the Blues can work in the shadows and secure the signatures of other top forwards. Names like the aforementioned Lukaku, Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero come to mind. Chelsea needs to move quickly to secure its targets with the market being revived this summer. The Blues will face stiff competition from other clubs, so setting their eyes on unrealistic targets is nothing more than a waste of time and resources. The west Londoners will be better off in the long run if they end their pursuit of Haaland before it truly begins.
What do you think Chelsea should do for its No. 9 position in the summer? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!