How does Darwin Nunez compare to Erling Braut Haaland?

A pair of exciting Premier League transfers were confirmed in the early hours of Monday, as perennial title-challengers Liverpool and Manchester City elevated their attacking games to new levels.

Barring any late medical or regulatory issues, Liverpool will complete the signing of Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez for an initial fee of €75m (£64.1m) which could rise to €100m (£85.4m), as confirmed by Benfica.

Meanwhile, Man City officially unveiled Erling Braut Haaland after triggering the release clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract earlier in the summer, as the Norway international follows in the footsteps of his father.

Using statistics from their 2021-22 domestic seasons and performances on the continent, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Nunez and Haaland compare before they are welcomed to Premier League turf.

ATTACK

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The Primeira Liga Golden Boot for the 2021-22 season quickly fell into Nunez's lap, as the South American registered 26 goals from 28 outings in the top flight to sit atop the scoring charts - six clear of second-placed Mehdi Taremi of Porto.

Nunez's contributions remarkably works out to a goal every 76.4 minutes of action in the Portuguese top flight, and he played four more league games than Haaland last term amid the Norwegian's injury problems.

Nevertheless, Haaland still struck 22 goals of his own in those 24 Bundesliga outings, but his record only averages out to a goal every 87 minutes of top-flight action - playing a total of one hour and 13 minutes less than Nunez last season.

However, Haaland would rank higher than Nunez in shots per game last term - 3.3 compared to 3.0 for the Uruguayan - but he only scored three goals in three Champions League games compared to six in 10 for Nunez.

Man City's new boy also demonstrates a greater affinity for link-up play, which is reflected in his assists column as he set up his teammates on seven occasions in the Bundesliga season, while Nunez had four assists to his name.

Out of Haaland's 22 Bundesliga goals last season, six came from the penalty spot, while Nunez was successful from 12 yards on four occasions in the Portuguese top flight and also beat Barcelona number one Marc-Andre ter Stegen from the spot in the Champions League.

Nunez scored 12 of his open-play goals with his right foot, five with his left and five with his head. Meanwhile, Haaland managed four goals with his right foot, nine with his left and three headers.

ALL-ROUND PLAY

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With his superior assists statistic, Haaland also comes out on top in pass percentage with 71.3% compared to Nunez's 67.1%, although the South American ranks marginally better in key passes with 1.1 per game, while Nunez recorded 1.

Liverpool's £85m man can also boast better records in key passes, dribbles and drawing fouls than Haaland - completing 1.4 successful dribbles per game, while Haaland only managed 0.5.

The Man City arrival also recorded 2.4 unsuccessful touches per game, while his counterpart recorded 1.9 in that category. However, Haaland was dispossessed and caught offside on fewer occasions than Nunez.

Neither striker should be knocked too much for their defensive contributions in the Premier League, but Nunez did make 0.5 tackles per game compared to 0.1 for Haaland, who unsurprisingly therefore committed fewer fouls than his fellow forward.

The 6ft 4in Scandinavian would be on hand to make more clearances at 1.3 per game, which Nunez recorded 0.5 of, and he would also pick up just three bookings as Nunez was cautioned six times in the Primeira Liga.

Injury-wise, Haaland's physical problems caused him to miss a total of 16 games in all competitions last season, while Nunez was absent for 14 games in his entire Benfica career, despite undergoing knee surgery just over 12 months ago.

HONOURS/NATIONAL TEAM

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With both men still only 22 years of age, major honours have been relatively few and far between, but Haaland's team success already dwarfs that of Nunez.

The soon-to-be Liverpool man has only one noteworthy triumph so far, winning the 2017-18 Uruguayan top flight with Penarol, while Haaland won the DFB-Pokal with Dortmund in 2021 and also became Austrian league and cup champion with Red Bull Salzburg.

Individually, Nunez won the Portuguese Footballer of the Year for his exploits in 2021-22, and finishing as top goalscorer in his domestic league is something that Haaland is yet to achieve.

What the Man City man can boast to achieve, though, is a spot in last year's FIFPRO World XI, being the top scorer in a Champions League and Nations League campaign, winning the 2020-21 Bundesliga Player of the Season and winning the 2020 Golden Boy award to name just a few.

Haaland also took no time at all to settle into life with the national team and has 20 goals to boast from 21 goals in Norway colours, including five goals in three Nations League games this month.

However, Nunez is yet to truly make his mark at international level, making 11 appearances for Uruguay but only starting four of them and registering a paltry two goals in the process.

Nunez certainly has some tough acts to follow in Diego Forlan, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, while Haaland works to surpass Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he prepares for life with his compatriot's bitter rivals.