At a distance from Haaland – “I’m not coming as someone’s successor”
Borussia Dortmund invested a base fee of 31 million euros in the transfer of Sébastien Haller. With bonus payments, he could become the most expensive BVB player
Source: dpa/David Indian song
His predecessor Erling Haaland enjoyed cult status. That’s why Sébastien Haller is inheriting a difficult legacy at Borussia Dortmund. With this pressure, the attacker from Ajax Amsterdam is surprisingly relaxed – and clearly distinguishes himself.
Dhe shadow of his predecessor is long, the expectations huge. None of Borussia Dortmund’s six new signings should have it harder than Sébastien Haller. As a replacement for Torgarant Erling Haaland, the 28-year-old attacker has been under the special scrutiny of the fans who accompanied the club to the training camp in Bad Ragaz in his first few days in the black and yellow jersey.
How little he thinks of comparisons with the former Dortmund cult figure, Haller expressed in clear words. “I’m not coming to Borussia Dortmund as someone’s successor, but because the club needs my quality. So I’ll do my best to restore trust,” answered the 28-year-old signing from Ajax Amsterdam on Sunday in front of an idyllic Swiss mountain backdrop to annoying questions about Haaland.
Not only the high hit rate of his predecessor, but also the lavish transfer fee increases the limelight. According to reports, BVB transferred a base fee of 31 million euros to Ajax Amsterdam. If this sum increases to almost 35 million euros due to any bonuses, Haller would be the most expensive purchase in the club’s history. According to sports director Sebastian Kehl, however, the investment risk seems manageable: “The overall package is very promising. Sébastien has a high level of physical presence, and he is also very resilient physically.”
Haller’s Bundesliga experience is a plus for BVB
Of all the attackers that BVB saw on the transfer market after Haaland’s decision to go to another club, Haller fitted the requirements profile best. Unlike in previous years with the commitments of Haaland (2020), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2013) or Robert Lewandowski (2010), BVB was not looking for a young professional with a lot of development potential, but for a seasoned goalscorer.
The fact that Haller was already able to prove his class in the Bundesliga as the leader of the so-called Frankfurt “buffalo herd” from 2017 to 2019 made him all the more interesting for BVB. According to Haller, this time at Eintracht could make integration at his new club easier: “Now I know a little bit what I have to do. Not like that when I came to Frankfurt and didn’t know anything about the Bundesliga and the Germans. I have more experience – hopefully enough to be successful.”
The Ivorian national player, who was born near Paris, does not need to shy away from comparisons with the impressive rate of Haaland, who scored 85 times in 88 appearances for BVB. He scored 47 goals in 65 games for Ajax Amsterdam and also proved to be a good preparer with 16 assists. With remarkable performances in the past Champions League season, he continued to increase his market value. A total of eleven goals helped put them in third place in the annual ranking of the top scorers behind superstars like Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/15) and Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern Munich/13). In the group stage, Haller scored in every game – previously only Cristiano Ronaldo had managed that.
And another argument strengthened the club bosses in their efforts to sign Haller. Compared to his predecessor, who recently had long downtimes, the new storm hope is less prone to injury.
Similar to Kehl, BVB captain Marco Reus is also in good spirits that Haller will close the big gap at BVB and will soon step out of the long Haaland shadow: “He’s not as fast as Erling, but he’s a giant striker. We didn’t lose many guns. Let’s give it some time to settle in.”
