More than a month after confirming that they had reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City have finally officially announced the arrival of striker Erling Haaland.
The Norway international, who scored twice to help his country seal a 3-2 win over Sweden in the Nations League on Sunday evening, has joined the club on a long-term contract. It is understood that he has joined City for a fee of around £51million.
His arrival at the Etihad Stadium will significantly strengthen Pep Guardiola's squad, with the club having been keen to source a new out-and-out striker ever since Sergio Aguero's departure at the end of the 2020/21 campaign. City attempted to sign Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane last summer but saw their efforts quickly extinguished by Spurs' financial demands.
READ MORE: Man City are just three players away from completing their dream squad for 2022/23
Instead, their willingness to wait 12 months has paid off, with them having now snapped up one of the most promising players in the world. Haaland scored 86 goals in just 89 appearances for Dortmund, highlighting his current ability and enormous potential.
His arrival at the Etihad Stadium will see him shoulder the responsibility of becoming City's leading marksman and goalscorer-in-chief, easing the pressure on those who have often been deployed in the false-nine berth this season in the absence of a recognised striker. But now that Haaland is in the building, competition will be fierce when it comes to choosing who joins him in attack.
With that in mind, MEN Sport has taken a close look at three ways City could line-up next season following the signing of the highly-rated 21-year-old.
4-3-3
Should Guardiola continue with his trademark 4-3-3 system next season, his hardest task could come in the form of deciding who joins Haaland in a three-pronged attack. The former Dortmund ace is a guaranteed starter to spearhead the attack, meaning all eyes will be on who supports him from the flanks.
City are blessed with an array of star-studded attacking options who can play out wide, including Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden. The quartet all earned regular opportunities throughout the 2021/22 campaign, meaning performances in pre-season could dictate who starts on the opening day of the new Premier League season.
But with speculation concerning Sterling's future continuing to mount and Grealish yet to hit the heights in City colours, Mahrez and Foden could get the nod to start either side of Haaland, respectively, in a 4-3-3 system. Between them, Mahrez and Foden racked up a very impressive 58 direct goal contributions in all competitions this term.
4-4-2 (diamond)
Although Guardiola is unlikely to tweak his formation to accommodate Haaland in his thinking, the addition of fellow striker Julian Alvarez from River Plate will provide the Catalan with the scope to change his approach if he wishes to. On paper, they have the potential to form a devastating partnership.
If Guardiola was to deploy a front-two, however, that would result in City moving to a two-man midfield, opposed to their usual look with a three-man system. Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri are certain starters, meaning Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan would drop out.
City would continue to operate with two natural wingers in this system, meaning Mahrez, Grealish, Sterling and Foden would be battling it out for two spots. The expected departure of Gabriel Jesus will reduce the numbers of individuals fighting for places.
4-2-3-1
City could also tweak their system to operate with an attack-minded 4-2-3-1 approach, with Haaland lining-up as the lone striker at the top end of the pitch. Utilising his greatest strengths will be the key to getting the best out of him, meaning Guardiola will need to get as many creative players in and around him as possible.
In a 4-2-3-1 system, Guardiola would have three creators buzzing around the Leeds-born striker, with De Bruyne acting as the architect-in-chief in the No.10 position. Either side of him, again, the likes of Mahrez, Grealish, Sterling and Foden will be battling it out for the two wide places.
Rodri is a certain starter in one of the two holding-midfield positions, meaning Guardiola might need to recruit a replacement for Fernandinho to sit alongside him and offer a layer of protection. However, he might feel comfortable enough in deploying Gundogan in that position, as City dominate the ball in most matches they play in, allowing the German to get forward and leave Rodri to soak up any potential counter-attacks.
Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.
