It was the first big surprise of the winter transfer market; Borussia Dortmund has confirmed the signing of one of the most desired players and one of the great promises of world football: Erling Haaland, the Red Bull Salzburg striker who was being followed by many teams in Europe. The German club announced on Sunday the signing of the 19-year-old with a contract until June 30, 2024, and this is not the first time that ‘Die Schwarzgelben’ get one of the most desired young players on the continent. Lewandowski, Aubameyang or Dembélé are other clear examples of the great work done by Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Erling Braut Håland from @RedBullSalzburg on a contract until 2024! pic.twitter.com/C9ilU0u0dt — Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) December 29, 2019

DORTMUND, BEFORE UNITED OR JUVENTUS

Haaland's transfer was completed for about 22 million euros, the amount of the termination clause that allowed the attacker to leave the Austrian team in winter. The amount is not high for a player who promises many joys to the German team, and from next January 3 the striker will already be training with his new teammates in the preseason that Dortmund will perform in Marbella. Manchester United, Juventus or Barcelona were some of the destinations that sounded loud in recent weeks, but the player has not hesitated. "I had several meetings with Hans-Joachim Watzke, Michael Zorc, and coach Lucien Favre. From the beginning, I felt I wanted to come to this club, follow this path and play football in this incredible Dortmund environment in front of more than 80,000 spectators. I'm already looking forward to it, "Haaland said in statements to the German team's website after signing his contract.

There were no doubts from the German club either. "Despite the offers from the best clubs across Europe, Erling Haaland has decided to come to Dortmund. Our persistence has been worthwhile," said German club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. "He is an ambitious, athletic and physically strong forward. He has a great goal instinct and impressive speed, which we would like to develop more in Dortmund. He is only 19 years old and is starting his career," added Michael Zorc, sports director of Borussia Dortmund and in charge of leading the negotiations from the beginning. In this campaign, Haaland figures leave no doubt: In 14 league games he has scored 16 goals and has given six assists. In the Champions League, his scoring sense also shone: 8 goals in six games.

Welcome to Dortmund ?????? pic.twitter.com/8k1J6HhEdj — Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) December 29, 2019

GREAT DORTMUND SIGNING POLICY

Borussia Dortmund does not have the economic possibilities of the great teams of the continent but still manages to get young players who in many cases later they end up selling for double or triple their original price. Haaland is just the last example. At the beginning of the 2010/11 season, the yellow team signed a striker from Lech Poznan, a Polish man named Robert Lewandowski who only cost 4.75 million euros. Four seasons later, and after obtaining a fabulous performance of the striker, the player left for Bayern in 2014 after the end of his contract, although it was a clear example that you could buy great players without paying large sums. The next example was Mats Hummels, a Bayern Munich young player who arrived in Dortmund in 2009 for 4.2 million. In 2016 he would return to Munich for 35 million, before coming back to the yellow team this season.

Another good bet was that of Gündogan, the Nuremberg brain that landed in Dortmund for 5.5 million in 2011. The German international midfielder was recruited by Manchester City in 2016, which paid for him 27 million. That same year Dortmund paid 5.5 million to Brugge for Perisic, and two years later they received 8 million from Wolfsburg for the Croatian. In 2012 they signed Marco Reus, a skillful and fast forward who had surprised everyone with Borussia Mönchengladbach, for whom they paid 17 million. Dortmund has managed to retain the attacker so far and only injuries could collapse his trajectory.

Aubameyang, signed from the French Saint-Etienne for 13 million, left for Arsenal for 64 million after watering Dortmund with goals; Mkhitaryan, Shakhtar stellar midfielder, arrived for 27.5 million and later left for Manchester United for 42, while, perhaps in the best example of an extraordinary signing policy, in the summer of 2016 Dortmund managed to get the services of Ousmane Dembélé, a young Frenchman from Rennes that cost 15 million and ended up going to Barcelona a year later for 125 million. Haaland is their last bet, and no one doubts that it will be a great business in every way for a Borussia Dortmund that has become a specialist in making the most of each of their signings.