All eyes on City after Haaland’s insane World Cup popularity boost
As the dust settles on Spain’s North American World Cup triumph, the European club season is ready to take centre stage once again.
Arsenal are the reigning champions of the league after a dominant performance last season saw the club end its 22-year Premier League title drought.
Bruno Guimaraes in action during the pre-season. Getty Images
The Gunners had 15 players in their squad called up to represent their nation on the global stage, donning 11 different national team colours.
But those 15 players were just some of the many faces that became familiar to many over the summer, and they are now set to light up the Premier League.
Here are some of the names from the World Cup who will star at club level.
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Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal)
Arsenal strengthened their already imposing squad with the signing of Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United for $143.4m.
In what was a disappointing World Cup campaign for Brazil as they were knocked out by Erling Haaland and Norway in the round of 16, but Guimaraes did his reputation no harm as he stood out in the centre of the park.
Arsenal supporters will be excited by the prospect of Guimaraes linking up with the likes of Declan Rice in the heart of the midfield with the Brazilian’s ability to be both combative and skilful adding another piece to a powerful engine room.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
The Norwegian superstar lit up this summer’s World Cup both on and off the field as his goal scoring exploits helped Norway to their best World Cup finish.
Haaland’s Instagram following grew by 32.1 million followers as his relaxed demeanour and humorous interviews captured global attention, with one visit to Wild Bill’s Western Store in downtown Dallas endearing him to the American audience.
Erling Haaland celebrates at the end of the match. AP Photo/Jessica Tobias
The celebrity of Haaland has only accelerated since the World Cup as switches his focus to club football and helping Manchester City once again contend for both domestic and European honours.
Elliot Anderson (Manchester City)
The young English midfielders move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City amidst England’s third placed finish at the World Cup set a new transfer record for a British Player.
The $224 million (AUD) deal surpassed the $222 million deal that Real Madrid paid Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham in 2023.
Anderson’s signing signals a changing of the guard at City under new manager Enzo Maresca as the club moves into a post-Pep Guardiola era.
Maresca will be hoping Anderson is able to bring both poise and balance to the City midfield as he did so impressively for England during the summer.
He will be crucial to City’s chances of brushing off the critics who have written them off due to the weight of Guardiola’s legacy.
Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)
Pedro Porro kisses the trophy Getty Images
The World Cup winning right-back for Spain returns to Tottenham high on confidence and keen to help manager Robert De Zerbi and Spurs return to European football.
A star for Spain during the summer as he provided defensive strength as well as an attacking threat including a goal in the round of 32 and in the semi-final against France. Porro was a shadow of himself last season where Spurs battled the threat of relegation and only narrowly avoided it.
His World Cup performances showed the class and quality he possesses with Spurs hoping he can replicate those showings this season.
Morgan Rogers (Chelsea)
Morgan Rogers at Chelsea Training Ground. Getty
Another young English starlet who earned a record-breaking deal post World Cup, was 23-year-old Morgan Rogers as he moved from Aston Villa to Chelsea for a reported $225 million AUD despite the interest from current English champions Arsenal.
Rogers’ World Cup campaign saw him feature in seven games as he providedglimpses of the class new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso will be hoping hecan showcase on a consistent basis once the new season gets underway.
How will he cope with the pressure of his price tag? Can Chelsea shed their reputation for being highly paid underperformers?
It’s one of the most intriguing storylines of the new season.
