Had Manchester City's plans for the summer of 2021 come together successfully, then the Etihad Stadium might never have come to witness the goalscoring prowess of Erling Haaland.
The £51m signing of Haaland this summer brought an end to City's two-year hunt for a new striker, and it's fair to say that things have gone pretty well. The 22-year-old has shrugged off doubts that he would struggle to adapt to Pep Guardiola's demands by scoring 12 goals in his first seven outings for the club — a start to life in sky blue even better than Sergio Aguero enjoyed.
However, had City succeeded in their pursuit of Harry Kane in 2021 then Haaland would likely never have arrived. City were desperate to add the England striker to their squad ahead of the 2021/22 season, but try as they might they could not persuade Tottenham Hotspur to part with their star player.
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The saga rumbled on for weeks and weeks until finally Kane confirmed that he would be staying in North London, forcing City to turn their attentions elsewhere. A year later they did just that, beating out Real Madrid in the race to sign Haaland.
According to one former Spurs star, City's failure to sign Kane has actually worked out pretty well for them. Speaking to Midnite, Gus Poyet admitted that the Norwegian edges out his English counterpart when it comes to pure striking ability.
"They're different players, one is a top goalscorer, Haaland will always be there in the box, waiting for a cross, mistake, pass, like a proper killer," Poyet said.
"Kane is a great football player, especially in the last few years, he's started dropping and making things happen. Kane is an all-round football player, but I think Haaland is clear, you just know he's going to score even if he touches the ball five times in a game."
Haaland's arrival in the Premier League appears to have inspired Kane to have an unusually fruitful start to the season; not usually one to start quick out of the blocks, Kane's five goals in six league games have helped Spurs earn 14 points from six outings, the same return as City.
Haaland currently tops the Premier League scoring charts though with 10 goals in six games, four more than next best Aleksandar Mitrovic.
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