Dominant feels like an understatement when trying to describe Manchester City's performances in the Premier League over the last four seasons.
The Cityzens became the first team in the history of the division to win a fourth successive title when they lifted the trophy at The Etihad earlier this year.
Pep Guardiola has instilled an incredible winning mentality in his group but the Spanish head coach will want more from his side in the 2024/25 campaign, after they only won one piece of silverware last term.
They had won the treble in the 2022/23 campaign and followed that up with the Premier League title but no cups the following season, which may have been frustrating.
Guardiola has already moved to sign Brazil international Savinho to bolster his options on the wings, and is also reportedly keen to add another attacking midfielder to his group before the end of the summer transfer window.
The Premier League champions are said to be in pole position to sign a star who was in fantastic form at the 2024 European Championship for his country.
Man City closing in on Spanish star
According to Football Insider, Manchester City are closing in on a swoop to snap up attacking midfielder Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig this summer.
The report claims that the Cityzens are currently in pole position to sign the Spain international ahead of the competition, amid interest from other teams in Europe.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich are said to be providing 'stiff' competition for his services, which means that City need to move quickly to prevent them from stealing a march on them in the race for Olmo.
Football Insider adds that the midfield maestro had a release clause of £51m in his contract with Leipzig but it expired on Monday, with no teams opting to activate it.
City have now held fresh talks with Leipzig over a deal to sign the Euros winner and are 'increasingly likely' to land him once they agree on a payment structure with the Bundesliga outfit.
The nature of a release clause means that the English side would have had to have paid the £51m up front as one fee, whereas they are now negotiating to agree a transfer on their terms so that they can spread out the payments in installments and add-ons.
If Guardiola and his team can get a deal over the line for Olmo in the coming weeks then the club could have yet another creative whiz who could thrive alongside Erling Haaland.
Erling Haaland's goalscoring genius
It is fair to say that the Norway international has been a resounding success since his permanent move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022.
He has produced 90 goals and 15 assists in 98 appearances for the club in all competitions over the last two years, which is more than one goal contribution per game on average.
In November of last year, Haaland became the fastest player to hit 50 goals in the Premier League as he did so in 48 matches – 17 fewer than the next fastest in Andy Cole.
These statistics speak to just how impressive the Leeds-born marksman has been as a goalscorer for City under Guardiola, and it has been backed up by two Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, and an FA Cup.
His form in his first two top-flight seasons with the Cityzens also illustrates how lethal the former Dortmund sensation has been at finding the back of the net.
Appearances
35
31
Goals
36
27
Minutes per goal
77
95
Conversion rate
29%
22%
Assists
8
5
As you can see in the table above, Haaland has plundered a staggering 63 goals in 66 appearances in the division, with a conversion rate of at least 22% in both seasons.
This shows that the Norwegian whiz is a consistent striker who has little trouble in finding the back of the net on a regular basis in the Premier League for City.
Therefore, the 23-year-old attacker is the dream striker for an attacking midfielder to play with as they know that there is a good chance that he will score if they create high-quality opportunities for him.
Why Dani Olmo could thrive with Erling Haaland
The aforementioned quality of Haaland's finishing and goalscoring is why Olmo could thrive alongside him at The Etihad in the Premier League during the 2024/25 campaign and beyond.
Over the last 365 days in the Men's Big 5 Leagues and European competitions, the Leipzig star ranks within the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.31), and the top 15% for non-penalty xG and xAG combined per 90 (0.55).
This shows that the £152k-per-week ace has been one of the most creative players in his position in the major leagues in Europe over the past year, as he has been able to consistently create high-quality opportunities for his teammates for Leipzig.
Olmo, who was described as a "technical genius" by journalist Josh Bunting, also caught the eye with his ability as a scorer and a creator of goals at the Euros with Spain, as shown in the graphic above.
The 26-year-old talent also showcased his quality at the top end of the pitch at league level for Leipzig during the recent 2023/24 campaign.
Starts
17
Goals
4
Assists
5
Big chances created
8
Key passes per game
1.5
As you can see in the table above, Olmo provided plenty of creativity for his club in the Bundesliga last term with eight 'big chances' created in just 17 league starts.
Taking all of these statistics, from club and international level, into account, the Spain international could be a fantastic partner for Haaland on the pitch next term.
He could consistently create high-quality opportunities for the England-born star to find the back of the net whilst also chipping in with goals of his own to help City win more trophies under Guardiola.
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