Pep Guardiola failed to get Harry Kane out of Tottenham Hotspur last summer. Manchester City made two offers, one for 100 million pounds (120 million euros) and another for 150 million (175 million euros), but was unable to persuade Daniel Levy, president of the London club, to sell him to them. With the signing of Erling Haaland, Guardiola completes the puzzle with the piece he was missing all this time.

The Spanish coach has managed to deal without a natural '9' in the squad for the last two seasons using players more accustomed to other positions and exploit the figure of the 'false 9' that he used so much and so well with Leo Messi the Barcelona.

Phil Foden, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesús, have been there and the truth is that City has worked very well. Not for nothing, they are the highest scoring team in the Premier League, with 89 goals, two more than Liverpool, which has given them a difference of plus four in goalscoring as compare to the 'Reds' that could be decisive for a title that aims to be defined on the last matchday.

However, City has suffered a downturn compared to other campaigns. From fighting for all the titles to soon losing in the League Cup, in the semifinals of the FA Cup and also in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, in which they came close to their second consecutive final. It could be the second blank season for City since Guardiola arrived, something that hasn't happened since the year he landed in Manchester.

Haaland arrives to raise this team's level even more. According to the sports website "The Athletic" and to Fabrizio Romano, the signing is done and it is a matter of time before it is announced. The financial offer that directors Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain have put on the table has been juicy enough to convince the Norwegian that his destiny is not in Real Madrid, but in Manchester.

With this signing, City acquires a man who has scored almost a goal per game in his three seasons at Borussia Dortmund. Records that are reminiscent of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their prime. Guardiola finds an objective that will receive the passes of Foden, De Bruyne and Cancelo, and that will finish the counters launched by Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.

At 21 years old, Haaland is one of the most promising footballers in the world, along with Kylian Mbappé, and his departure from Borussia was a matter of time.

EFE