Liverpool Maybe in a Lose-lose Situation After Erling Haaland Mistake
Liverpool Maybe in a Lose-lose Situation After Erling Haaland Mistake
Liverpool has been linked with Red Bull Salzburg’s Karim Adeyemi but has been warned by the contrasting fortunes of Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino.
It remains a mystery to some Liverpool fans why, after facing Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League group-stages in 2019, it was Takumi Minamino and not Erling Haaland the Reds opted to move for.
Sure, the Japan international impressed against Jurgen Klopp’s side, scoring in the Austrians’ 4-3 defeat at Anfield with supporters and even members of the Liverpool squad urging the club to make a move after the final whistle.
Little did they know, a move was already in the works with the Reds taking advantage of a £7.25m release clause in his contract the following January.
It’s easy to say in hindsight, given the forward’s limited impact at Anfield so far for reasons beyond his control, but Minamino was a transfer gamble for Liverpool.
A low-cost one, courtesy of his release clause with the Reds’ recruitment team feeling his market value to be comfortably over £20m at the time, but a gamble nevertheless having only plied his trade in Japan and Austria.
Haaland, in contrast, was already destined for greatness. The Norway international also scored in that Salzburg loss at Anfield, netting eight times from six Champions League group games and scoring 28 goals from just 22 appearances during the first half of the season, to earn a £19.5m move to Borussia Dortmund.
He hasn’t stopped scoring since, in both the Bundesliga and Europe’s elite competition, establishing himself as one of the continent’s most lethal strikers with BVB set to make an enormous profit should the 21-year-old move on, as expected, next summer.
Of course, the duo weren’t the only forwards Liverpool faced off against on that October 2019 night back at Anfield.
Patson Daka started the game for Salzburg ahead of Haaland, who was carrying a knock, before shining as his replacement with 61 goals across the past two seasons earning him a £25m move to Leicester City back in the summer, despite reported interest from the Reds, though he has endured a slow start to life at the King Power Stadium.
In contrast, Salzburg’s opening goalscorer and final member of their starting front three that night, Hwang Hee-chan, is currently impressing on loan at Wolves, scoring on his debut against Watford, after making a limited impact following a summer move to RB Leipzig last year.
Liverpool Maybe in a Lose-lose Situation After Erling Haaland Mistake, in other words, Salzburg sure can spot a talented striker but, unless they’re a freak of nature like Haaland, the fortunes of Minamino, Hwang and Daka demonstrate it takes time to adjust to the step-up after leaving Austrian football behind.
