The move comes after the Norwegian’s phenomenal start to the new season, when he has scored nine goals in his five matches so far. This includes back-to-back hat-tricks in his last two games against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
After the stunning start, bet365 has priced Haaland at 3/10 to be the Premier League top scorer this season, and at 13/8 to score 30 or more league goals. He is also 2/1 to be the PFA Player of the Season.
“Every man and his dog had their opinions on Haaland and how he’d fare in England, and they could be split into two distinct groups: those who thought he may struggle with injuries; that he was coming into a more demanding league, that he’d take time to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s style, and those who were right,” a statement from bet365 read.
“Of course, Haaland’s long-term fitness still has a question mark over it, but it’s starting to look like he could miss half the season and still be in the running for the Golden Boot.”
The 22-year-old was priced at 9/2 to score a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest, and is now 11/1 to do the same against Aston Villa this weekend.
“With the uncertainty of how Haaland would handle the Premier League, as well as his injury record and the possibility of rotation with the infamous ‘Pep Roulette’, we were happy with our 20/1 about the 22-year-old scoring 35 or more top flight goals this season,” said bet365’s Steve Freeth.
“However, we’ve quickly taken the axe to that price on the back of two hat-tricks in just five days, and just like Tyrone Mings and Co this weekend, we’re a little nervous of how this is all going to end.
“Messrs Cole and Shearer scored their record tally of 34 in a 42-game season. At this rate, Haaland could get this done before the World Cup, when ominously for Premier League defenders, he’ll be getting a six-week rest!”
Like everyone else in world football, bet365 has been taken aback by just how quickly Haaland has adapted to life in the Premier League, with the operator’s strategy certainly an interesting one amid all the goals flying in.
The iconic striker is perhaps generating more bets for bookies… but whether he ends up costing them money remains to be seen.
