Dortmund director relieved to have sold ‘burden’ Erling Haaland

Borussia Dortmund director Sebastian Kehl has admitted he was happy to have sold Erling Haaland, claiming that the striker became a ‘burden’ on the club.

Haaland left Germany after playing there for three years to join Manchester City this summer and has made a stunning start to life in England, scoring 12 goals in seven matches.

Dortmund meanwhile have coped well without the Norweigian, winning all but one of their six first matches of the new season.

Kehl claims to be happy that the striker left, saying he’d become a burden on the club in his final few months there with all the talk surrounding him and his future.

“As much as we have always appreciated Erling and the success he has had with our shirt, in the end the matter had definitely become a burden, both in the dressing room and for the club,” he told Sport Bild.

“In general, for the whole environment, it was just him. The timing of the sale was right, both for us and for City. The fact that our first 10 goals this season have been scored by 10 different players proves it.”

The only thing Kehl would have changed would have been the timing of the sale, with him wishing the striker left earlier so they had more time to prepare for his absence.

“I would have liked to have been certain a little earlier, because that issue limited our preparation,” he added.

“Without him, we have the possibility to trust the other players. The fact that our first ten competitive goals have been scored by ten different players shows that pretty well.”