Bundesliga
Haaland: "I want to win titles with Dortmund"
As if 13 goals in 14 games didn't speak clearly enough for Erling Haaland's ambition at Borussia Dortmund, the young Norwegian has reaffirmed his commitment to the club, saying that he wants to win the title in Black and Yellow.
Haaland has been a revelation since he swapped Red Bull Salzburg for the Signal Iduna Park in January, scoring 16 goals in just 17 outings in all competitions. Despite playing just half a Bundesliga season, a brace against Hoffenheim on the final day could see him climb into the top five of the 2019/20 goalscoring chart.
Naturally, such form has attracted admiring glances from throughout Europe, but for Haaland, he is in exactly the right place to achieve his career goals.
Watch: A tactical look at Haaland's impact with Dortmund
"I want to achieve something with BVB," he told Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. "Not always just second, but also to win titles if possible. We should set goals we want to attack. I've signed a long-term contract here and just got here, so I don't think about leaving the club again."
Top of the table after the first two games and then Bayern Munich's closest pursuers uninterrupted since Matchday 25, Dortmund ran the record champions close this season, with their pursuit only really drawing to a close following the champions' 1-0 Klassiker win in late May.
"Unfortunately, we also lost both games to Bayern," continued Haaland. "Without these points it was doubly difficult to end up in front of them due to their strength. We're second and happy with it, but of course we would've liked to have kept the race with Bayern open longer."
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's narrow 1-0 win over Dortmund
BVB sporting director Michael Zorc said ahead of the Hoffenheim game that the club would hold talks with coach Lucien Favre about extending his contract in due course. The Swiss tactician's win ratio stands at 65 percent - higher than Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel or Ottmar Hitzfeld managed at the club - and Haaland is grateful for his influence.
"Obviously, he helped me a lot to get better," the 19-year-old explained. "I've scored a lot of goals at an even higher level [than before] and we've won a lot of games with him, as a team. All of this speaks for itself."