Haaland ‘one step away’ from joining European giants

Carlo Garganese

• 22 Nov 2023 13:37 GMT
• 3 min read

Former Juventus chief scout Matteo Tognozzi has revealed that the Italian giants were “one step away” from signing Erling Haaland in 2017.

Haaland was famously photographed at Juventus Stadium in 2017 watching a Bianconeri game with his father Alf-Inge Haaland.

However, in the end, Juventus were unable to complete a deal for the then-Molde teenager and the rest, as they say, is history.

What did Tognozzi say about Haaland to Juventus?

“We were really one step away from Erling Haaland,” Tognozzi, who has recently joined Granada, explained in Tuttosport.

“November 2017, I arrived four months prior, the Norwegian was one of the first contacts I made at Juventus. I had him in hand, the idea was to sign him for the Primavera, but the deal was considered too expensive for the youth team.

“At that time, he was still on the bench at Molde, but within a few weeks he started playing and scoring, so everyone went after him.

“Many scouts experience these situations as frustrating, but by working closely with the management I understood that they are inevitable. The awareness of having worked well remains.”

Haaland has since developed into one of the best players in world football.

He scored 20 goals in 50 games for Molde before moving to Salzburg in 2018 where he struck 29 goals in 27 games.

A transfer to Borussia Dortmund followed where he plundered 86 goals in 89 games.

In 2022 Haaland moved to Manchester City for a snip at €60 million. In his first season he played a vital role in Man City winning the treble, scoring 52 goals in 53 games.

He is enjoying another clinical season so far this term as he has scored 17 goals in 18 games for City.