Rafaela Pimenta – one of the senior representatives of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland – has accepted a “structured” career plan for her client, speaking during recent interviews.
The former RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund striker arrived in Manchester in the summer transfer window.
Signed for a reported €60 million, via a favorable release clause in his Bundesliga club’s contract, Manchester City secured what was arguably the deal of the summer.
With his City career only a matter of months away, talk has been rife about what the future might hold for football’s most exciting striker.
There has been much speculation over a release clause being included in Erling Haaland’s contract at the Etihad Stadium, and as such, this has contributed to widespread discussions of a future move to La Liga for example.
Speaking during a recent interview with the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Rafaela Pimenta opened in the first place the reasons for the transfer of Erling Haaland to Manchester City.
“The choice of Erling (Haaland) was first of all technical”, declared Pimenta for Gazzetta. “When (Pep) Guardiola and (Manchester) City gave guarantees for his use on the pitch, negotiations continued.”
She continued: “The precedent of Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) did not weigh, because the agent has to take a step back from the interest of the player. He (Erling Haaland) and (Kylian) Mbappe are certainly the stars destined to inherit the legacy of (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo.”
Rafaela Pimenta – a lawyer by profession – has also spoken to Spanish newspaper Marca on the subject of Haaland.
Much has been said about whether the young striker will look to achieve great things in all European competitions, as opposed to an extended career with Manchester City.
His career path at the moment would suggest that if that is the case, however there is belief in some quarters that the lifestyle on offer at City – as well as success on the pitch – could influence Haaland’s thinking.
Rafaela Pimenta has spoken out about what the plan could be for her most high-profile client and suggested a “structured” plan is already on the table within the Haaland camp.
“Perfectly planned career? I don’t know”, admitted Pimenta. “What I do know is that it is structured. What happens I can not know. Things can change. We are clear about what we want to do.”
She continued: “When his father (Alf-Inge Haaland) first arrived at the office, he looked at me and told me that the most important thing was the planning, the project. He found the right site and agency because we always have a project for all players.”
“It is a professional project, but we are talking about variables that we do not control. They are all great, but 20 years ago we described a project with a Brazilian player and he had five serious injuries. The project could not work. We have had a project with Erling since the beginning and the project is working. We continue forward”, she said further.