Erling Haaland became a 'burden on the dressing room' in his final few months at Dortmund - especially after Pep Guardiola dropped a huge hint he was going to sign him.
The Norwegian goal machine couldn't keep out of the news toward the tail-end of the 2021/22 season, with the endless speculation putting strain on the BVB dressing room.
Haaland had been at the Westfalenstadion for two-and-a-half years and after banging in 86 goals in 89 games, the biggest clubs in the world were queueing up to sign him, particularly since he had a rather convenient £51million release clause in his contract.
Manchester City ultimately won the race for his signature in May 2022, but only after launching a charm offensive, which began nearly a year earlier. Guardiola openly lavished Haaland with praise as early as June 2021, telling reporters he was one of the very best around.
"The numbers speak for themselves," the Spaniard said. "Of course, he's one of the best strikers in the world right now at his age... I know the quality of this player and I think everyone knows."
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Speaking just a few weeks after Haaland's departure, Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl insisted the clamour around the superstar forward had become a bother both internally and externally and even claimed the club were happy to be rid of him.
"As much as we have always appreciated Erling and the success he has had with our shirt, in the end, the matter had definitely become a burden, both in the dressing room and for the club," he told German outlet Bild. "In general, for the whole environment, it was just him. The timing of the sale was right, both for us and for City."
Haaland went on to score an eye-watering 52 goals in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, helping Guardiola's men seal an historic Treble in the process. The club followed that up by winning the Premier League for a fourth successive year in Haaland's second season, with the ex-Molde striker scoring 38 times in all competitions.
Dortmund were quite happy to part ways with Erling Haaland in the end, according to Sebastian Kehl (REUTERS)Meanwhile, Dortmund have been faring pretty well since Haaland's exit. They finished level on points with Bayern Munich at the end of the 2022/23 season, agonisingly losing out on the Bundesliga title on goal difference.
Their domestic form suffered last season, with Edin Terzic's men sealing a disappointing fifth-place finish, but they did reach the final of the Champions League, where they were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid.
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