Real Madrid should sign Haaland before Mbappe - Valdano
Kylian Mbappe is reportedly the primary transfer target for Real Madrid, but former Madrid manager Jorge Valdano would pick Erling Haaland over him.
Real Madrid would be better off signing Erling Haaland before Kylian Mbappe, according to Jorge Valdano.
Since making his debut for Borussia Dortmund on January 18 of last year, Haaland has scored 37 goals in as many appearances in all competitions. The only players to have found the back of the net more in the same time frame are Cristiano Ronaldo (41) and Robert Lewandowski (51).
The Norwegian's minutes-per-goal ratio of 77 is only bettered by Luis Muriel (57.7) among players from the top five European leagues to have scored at least 20 times in all competitions since his arrival at Dortmund.
Over the same period, Mbappe has averaged a goal every 114 minutes for Paris Saint-Germain. However, he has only been involved in four fewer goals than Haaland (42 – 37 scored, five assisted) having scored 25 and set up another 13.
Still, it is Mbappe who is reportedly the top target for Madrid, with his PSG contract set to expire at the end of next season.
Former Madrid player, coach and sporting director Valdano would prioritise Haaland instead, however.
"I would sign Haaland before Mbappe. He moves in small and large spaces, he scores with great regularity," Valdano told Onda Cero.
"Understanding that Mbappe is a star, I am very impressed with Haaland. He scores goals of all types."
Madrid will need to improve their financial situation if they are to make a run at signing Mbappe and with Martin Odegaard moving to Arsenal on loan.
Across seven LaLiga appearances under Zinedine Zidane this season, Odegaard has supplied five key passes but not registered an assist or scored himself.
He averages 27.5 passes ending in the final third per 90 minutes, second only to Isco for Madrid this season, but ranks seventh in the Madrid squad – of players who have featured in at least three LaLiga games – in terms of passes played into the box (4.3).
While on loan at Real Sociedad last season, per 90 minutes the playmaker averaged 2.2 chances created, 23.2 passes ending in the final third – the lower number potentially due to La Real spending less time in the opposition's final third than Madrid – and 8.5 passes played into the box.
Valdano believes Odegaard should have been more patient, suggesting that by biding his time he would have seen more action and grown in confidence.
"It doesn't seem to me that Odegaard played badly when he had his chance, but he lacked a degree of daring and a greater sense of risk," he said.
"He was too close to Casemiro and lacked prominence for the final pass, which is what is expected of Odegaard.
"But that has to do with confidence, and I think time would have given him that. He lacked patience. A Madrid player should have a greater capacity for suffering, he must not give up too soon.
"And even less so being so young and competing for the position of two stars like [Toni] Kroos and [Luka] Modric. They are not just any two players."