It is not hard to see why Erling Haaland will be the object of Manchester City’s summer desires and the man so many fans want to see at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland looks like the sort of striker you might have purpose-built in a laboratory. A thunderous shot, able to finish with both feet, big, powerful, quick and strong.
Despite appearances, he is not a specifically designed mad football robot. He is the son of former City captain Alf-Inge Haaland. Erling was born the summer of 2000 when his old man joined the Blues and Joe Royle soon made him captain.
The pictures that have circulated online of a young Erling wearing a City shirt have added a layer to the appeal, but most of it is rooted in that eye-watering goalscoring record. He just doesn’t stop scoring.
Sure, Robert Lewandowski has more Bundesliga goals than him this season but that’s par for the course when it comes to the record-breaking Bayern Munich great.
But hang on, there’s someone else with more goals than Haaland in Germany’s top-flight this season? Surely not?
Nestled between Lewandowski on 23 and Haaland on 15 (from just 13 games played, he really is ridiculous) is Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick.
You remember him - the Czech Republic striker who scored that absurd goal from the halfway line at Hampden Park against Scotland at Euro 2020. Schick finished as joint-top scorer for the tournament on five goals with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 25-year-old’s up-and-down career until that point suggested he might be one of those players to enjoy a prolific month at a major competition before fading from the limelight, but he hasn’t let up at all this season.
In 16 appearances for Leverkusen in 2021/22, he has 18 goals. That’s an average of one every 71 minutes, putting him level with Lewandowski and faintly above Haaland (72 mins per goal). Schick’s shot conversion rate of 35% also tracks slightly better than the big two, who are on 32% apiece.
In December, 90 min reported City were one of a number of clubs monitoring Schick and he has been on the radar of Europe’s elite clubs for some time.
After coming through the ranks at Sparta Prague in his homeland, Schick joined Serie A side Sampdoria and enjoyed a breakout 2016/17 scoring 13 times in 35 appearances - only 15 of which were starts.
Juventus came calling and Schick was on the verge of joining for €25m (£20.8m) before the Turin giants pulled the plug amid speculation tests had uncovered heart problems.
Sampdoria owner Massimo Ferrero angrily dismissed the episode as “a farce” and Roma stole in to sign a prime talent, with a new medical showing no anomalies.
However, the saga seemed to take a toll on the youngster and he struggled to settle in the Italian capital - mainly because he was unable to dislodge a resurgent Edin Dzeko.
The ex-City crowd favourite remained prolific for the Giallorossi, meaning Schick often found himself shunted out to the right-wing as he scored just eight times in his two seasons at the Stadio Olimpico.
A reboot was necessary and the Bundesliga, where Dzeko too made his name, came calling. That initially meant a productive campaign on loan at RB Leipzig before Leverkusen signed him from Roma on a permanent basis.
For the first time since his Sampdoria days, he scored 13 times in a season last time around. His Euro 2020 heroics and electrifying efforts this season proved that was just the start for a well-rounded striker entering his prime.
Schick’s exploits show there are viable alternatives to Haaland, especially if the sums and soap opera around the Borussia Dortmund superstar and his agent Mino Raiola become a little too much.
Back when he was struggling in his shadow at Roma, Schick might have found it hard to imagine he would one day be the next Edin Dzeko, but stranger things have happened.
Do you think Patrik Schick would be a good alternative to Erling Haaland for Manchester City? Follow City Is Ours editor Dom Farrell on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
