What does Sancho’s Man Utd transfer mean for Haaland’s future?

Nicholas Hughes

Updated: 1 Jul 2021 13:39 BST
3 min read

Guardiola rejects Haaland links: Man City can’t afford to sign Aguero replacement — © ProShots

Erling Haaland has lost his partner in crime with Jadon Sancho all but signing for Manchester United ahead of next season.

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Borussia Dortmund confirmed that an agreement was in place for a £73 million move, with the Red Devils finally getting the deal over the line after failing to snap Sancho up last summer.

Haaland and Sancho had become one of the best one-two punches in world football, dazzling the Bundesliga with their connection up front.

With that partnership now breaking up and with Dortmund set for a new chapter under coach Marco Rose, this could all spell danger for Haaland’s future.

The majority of Europe’s top clubs have been in the conversation to sign the Norwegian, with many believing that Chelsea are leading the race to make a deal happen.

Ever since he arrived from RB Salzburg in January 2020, his goal record has been simply absurd, going at nearly a goal per game with 40 strikes in 43 matches.

Sancho departure could pave the way for Haaland next

Haaland is believed to have a release clause in his contract become active next summer, meaning the task for Rose to keep him in yellow and black will be made all the more difficult.

Initially under Lucien Favre and then Edin Terzic, Dortmund slipped away from Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race, finishing 14 points off the pace in the third position on the table.

Now without Sancho, Dortmund’s search for an elusive first league title since the Jurgen Klopp era in 2012 takes another blow.

Haaland has previously expressed his need to be challenging for titles and playing in the Champions League each season, and Dortmund must be able to show they can promise him that.

The 20-year-old’s father made his feelings known on Twitter when news of Sancho’s imminent departure surfaced, with an expletive post signalling his disappointment.

There seems to be an inevitability that Haaland will be the next man out the doors at Signal Iduna Park, and that it is more a matter of when than if.

For all of Dortmund’s success, the one great shame in recent years has been their inability to hold onto their star players – Robert Lewandowksi, Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, Ilkay Gundogan, Mats Hummels and now Sancho all left for bigger opportunities.

Losing Sancho won’t suddenly make Dortmund a poor team, but it will certainly have a less than ideal impact on performance, and that only increases the likelihood of Haaland’s name being added to that list.