Haaland vs Nunez: Former City and Liverpool stars have their say
Manchester City and Liverpool have splashed the cash this summer with their multi-million purchases of Erling Braut Haaland and Darwin Nunez.
The pair enjoyed mixed fortunes for their respective clubs in the Community Shield last weekend, with Nunez undoubtedly gaining the upper hand.
The former Benfica star was introduced as a second half substitute, and looked extremely lively before crowning his appearance with a late goal.
By contrast, aside from a few promising runs, Haaland was well shackled by Liverpool's defence and capped off his performance with a shocking miss towards the end of the game.
In a recent interview with Premier League betting site Betway, two former City and Liverpool stars discussed who they thought would have the biggest impact this season.
Ex-City defender Richard Dunne threw his weight behind Haaland, while former Reds full-back gave his backing to Nunez.
Splitting the pair is no easy task, with each of them already proving they know how to hit the back of the net on a regular basis.
Both players are traditional number nines, which represents a tactical departure from the systems employed by Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp in recent times.
Given their records with their former clubs, it could be argued that City have secured a better value deal by acquiring Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
While £51 million is still a lot to pay for a 21-year-old, he has already established a fearsome reputation for his goalscoring exploits.
Haaland scored 29 goals in 27 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg, before netting another 86 in 89 for the Bundesliga giants.
When you factor in another 20 goals in 21 games for Norway, it easy to see whey City were so desperate to secure Haaland's services.
Liverpool have shelled out around £64m to buy Nunez from Benfica after a season where he netted 34 goals in 41 appearances for the Portuguese club.
The 22-year-old's overall goalscoring record is not as good as Haaland's, although he should flourish with better players around him.
Nunez will take some of the goalscoring burden off Mohamed Salah's shoulders and should give Liverpool more of a cutting edge.
The Reds played in three major finals last season, winning two of them despite failing to score in normal time in any of them.
With Luis Diaz and Salah alongside him, Liverpool's attack now looks more potent than the famed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino trio.
However, City are unlikely to be slouches in the goalscoring stakes, with Haaland strongly fancied to continue the form he has shown in recent years.
When you factor in that City also have Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez in their ranks, the attacking talent in both clubs is staggering.
With that in mind, it is probably advisable to stop comparing their respective merits and just enjoy the ride!