Manchester City signed one of Europe’s biggest prospects, Erling Haaland, from the Borussia Dortmund team as a replacement for former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero July 1.
Neel Roy (’25) said the signing of Erling Haaland is significant to Manchester City fans.
“In the past few years following the departure of Sergio Aguero we haven’t been able to play with a recognized striker who has done well in the Premier League,” Roy said. “It’s genuinely the missing piece to Guardiola’s puzzle and I’m over the moon with this deal.”
Technology Support Specialist Dennis Njenga, a Manchester City fan, said it is unquestionable that Erling Haaland has been the best acquisition for the team..
“You can’t get away from Erling Haaland,” Njenga said. “I think the impact that he’s had on Manchester City has been crazy. We all knew he was going to score goals, but to the level of the impact that he’s had. It’s just been amazing.”
It’s genuinely the missing piece to Guardiola’s puzzle and I’m over the moon with this deal.
— Neel Roy (’25)
Sam Singer (’23) said Haaland’s talent was evident in his first few games as a Manchester City player.
“It’s clear that he’s going to score loads of goals and break many more records this season,” Singer said.
Further, former Arsenal Captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was sold to Barcelona for free during the January transfer window last year, according to ESPN.
Nicholas Farinola (’24) said Arsenal was smart in their business as they did not rush to replace their star striker and instead waited on the Gabriel Jesus deal in the summer transfer window.
“You can see that [Arsenal] pays close attention to detail in the way that they go about their business,” Farinola said. “They were so patient with filling in their striker position and it certainly has paid off when you look at the player they have in Jesus.”
Njenga said Jesus has made a massive impact so far, while also positively affecting other players around him.
“Something about him has gotten everyone around him playing better as well,” Njenga said. “He’s really given Arsenal that vocal point in attack.”
Former Manchester City player Raheem Sterling made his move from Manchester to London when he signed for Chelsea, according to SkySports. Chelsea lacked an offensive player following Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan on loan, per SkySports.
Sterling has marked 129 appearances for Liverpool along with another 339 games for Manchester City, according to the Premier League.
Njenga said Sterling’s consistency will be a new factor in Chelsea’s attacking force.
“For me, having a Premier League proven player who we know is capable of hitting 15 plus goals a season is what I wanted to see,” Njenga said. “I also think that he’s more of a direct player than some of the other wingers we’ve got.”
The Sterling deal was an odd one because Chelsea is really one of City’s competitors, but to be frank, it’s a good deal for all parties.
— Nicholas Farinola (’24)
Despite Sterling’s experience, Roy said he questioned whether he was going to be capable of maintaining his form following his move to Chelsea.
“I did wonder if he would show the same levels that he did at City in his prime but his first few games for Chelsea really prove that Raheem Sterling is not finished,” Roy said.
Farinola said he found the Sterling deal to be a shock due to the fact that Manchester City and Chelsea both compete at the same level, towards the top of the Premier League.
“The Sterling deal was an odd one because Chelsea is really one of City’s competitors, but to be frank, it’s a good deal for all parties,” Farinola said.
Ultimately, Roy said transfers and new signings can be very volatile in terms of success.
“Honestly, with these new signings, you really never know until they’ve had enough time to settle in,” Roy said. “Even then, sometimes players can become good out of the blue.”
