How ‘agent Mahrez’ convinced Haaland to join Man City after holiday meeting in Mykonos

Erling Haaland revealed that a conversation with Riyad Mahrez while on holiday helped convince him that Manchester City was his best transfer option.

The Blues teammates met in Greece in 2021
The Algerian winger spoke about life in the federation
The Norwegian striker moved to £51m in 2022

What happened? The prolific Norwegian striker was wanted by all of EuropeWhen it became clear he would move away from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022. Eventual Premier League champions City won that run and saw Haaland score 27 goals through 24 appearances, with a player already in their ranks. Al-Kutub – who described himself as “Mahrez’s agent” at the time – helped push through the £51m ($62m) deal.

What did they say: Talking to CityTV On colliding with Mahrez during a vacation in Mykonos during the summer of 2021, Haaland said: “We didn’t talk much but you said I had to come to town and the atmosphere was good. And that, for me, really important in the team is the atmosphere you enjoy every day. I said a little bit and it was That’s enough for me.”

Mahrez added of his participation: “I don’t think I need convincing [new signings] Because everyone wants to play for a club like City. Like I said before about the atmosphere, the club, the team, the dressing room. We have a great team, great players, and that’s the most important thing.”

The bigger picture: Haaland’s presence at City gave Pep Guardiola another proven No. 9 to work with, with the Citizens a more potent attacking force in 2022-23, but an uncharacteristic struggle for consistency as a group saw the reigning Premier League champions drop eight points. The pace in this season’s battle for domestic supremacy.

In three pictures:

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What’s Next? Haaland has failed to score in his last three games for City, representing a rare drought for him, and he will return to action on Thursday when they host Tottenham.

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