Liam Gallagher has christened Erling Haaland "the new Cantona" after Manchester City announced the signing of the Norwegian superstar from Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland, 21, will join the Premier League side on July 1 after they agreed a deal "in principle" with Dortmund. City have activated the youngster's £51.2million release clause, a bargain for a striker of his quality. Details of his contract will be announced in due course.
Many City fans were delighted with the transfer, including Gallagher. "Haaland is the new Cantona," tweeted the former Oasis singer. Gallagher was referring to the impact Eric Cantona had at rivals Manchester United in the 1990s, winning four Premier League titles.
And Gallagher didn't stop there. He also tweeted a Norwegian flag, called it the "steal of the century", said he was "absolutely buzzing" and wrote: "All hail Erling Haaland, be afraid... he's going to run riot next season. Fantastic work City - he's the future."
It's easy to see why Gallagher is excited by the news. Haaland is one of the best young strikers in Europe, scoring 85 goals in 88 appearances for Dortmund. His honours include two Austrian titles, the Austrian Cup and German Cup.
Yet not everyone is delighted with Haaland's impending move to City. Broadcaster and Arsenal fan Piers Morgan tweeted: "City got Haaland for £10m less than Arsenal paid for [Nicolas] Pepe." It was actually more than £20m less (apologies Piers).
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Arsenal signed Pepe from Lille for £72m in the summer of 2019, yet he's failed to make the impact many hoped - scoring 27 goals in 110 appearances in all competitions. Rumours suggest the Gunners will accept an offer of £25m for his services this summer.
When one Arsenal fan highlighted that Haaland's wages - expected to be £400,000-a-week - and signing-on fee will make the transfer more expensive than Pepe's, Morgan replied: "I don't think I need to point out who would be better value for money."
City legend Micah Richards, meanwhile, can't wait to see Haaland in action at the Etihad. "What a player, what a signing Erling Haaland is," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "What a statement to the rest of the teams around. It is the perfect fit.
"Maybe in terms of style of play he may find it difficult dropping into little positions. His link-up play isn’t the best but he can do it. But I don’t think apart from Harry Kane right now there is a better fit. Now they have got a Plan B. Right now for a young player, Manchester City is a great destination for him."
Christ Sutton added: "Haaland has so much potential... City dominate the ball and he may take a little bit of time to get used to the way that Pep wants to play but he has all the attributes. The guy is an absolute monster physically, people bounce off him.
"He is a wonderful finisher for such a tall guy, he has great feet, is good in the air and holds it in well and he will get better and better and in that respect I think he is going to the right club with the right coach [Pep Guardiola]."
