RB Leipzig bosses express disappointment at missing out Erling Haaland
RB Leipzig bosses Markus Krösche and Oliver Mintzlaff have spoken of their disappointment at missing out on the signing of Erling Haaland in 2020.
| Erling Haaland. | Photo: Marco Verch, CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Erling Haaland, however, chose a different path as he left Salzburg to sign for Borussia Dortmund in January 2020, much to the regret of RB Leipzig, who were very keen on the Norwegian forward.
"We were all totally convinced of him from a sporting point of view. That's why we contacted everyone involved early on. However, his representatives clearly indicated that he didn't want to make a decision at such an early stage," RB Leipzig sporting director Markus Krösche told Sport Bild and continued:
"Up until his decision, we remained in intensive contact with all those involved. This was certainly the reason why we were still in the race for him in the winter of 19/20."
Perhaps it would have made a difference if Ralf Rangnick had still been at the club at the time of Haaland's switch.
Working as the club's sporting director from 2012 until the summer of 2019, the 62-year-old played a key role in securing deals for a number of highly-rated players.
"Ralf Rangnick is known for his ability to convince top talented players and the players' families, bringing them to us. In Haaland's case, it is true that Ralf Rangnick was not involved in the final talks. Certainly, in retrospect, it wouldn't have hurt if he had been part of the talks at the time," RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff admitted to Sport Bild.
"But even with Ralf Rangnick, Erling Haaland would not have come to us, because on the one hand, his financial demands were too high for us, and on the other hand, we had Timo Werner, a striker who had 18 goals to his name at the time, and BVB were trying to fill a void at the position. Therefore, the decision for the player was quickly clear, and so I can't blame anyone," he added.
Haaland, 20, has scored 37 goals in 37 appearances for Dortmund so far.
