Hotshot Haaland's fine start to the Champions League sees stock soar

The name on everyone's lips in the Champions League this season isn't one of the big name stars in the competition. Robert Lewandowski is on an unbelievable scoring run, Lionel Messi has excelled upon his return from injury and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the form players in Europe according to WhoScored's rating system. 

And yet, it's one Erling Haaland who has piqued the interest of football supporters in the Champions League. The Norwegian shot to prominence when he netted nine times in Norway's 12-0 win over Honduras at the U20 World Cup this summer and having aready secured his services, Salzburg must have been rubbing their hands with glee at the fine showing of the forward on their books. 

His arrival in Austria undoubtedly eased Munas Dabbur's move to Sevilla earlier in the year and Haaland has wasted no time in boosting his reputation. The teenager is the league's top scorer with 12 goals to his name as Salzburg top the Austrian Football Bundesliga with 32 points from their opening 12 matches. 

Those 12 goals amount to 24% of Salzburg's 50 so far as the Austrian powerhouse set out their intentions to secure a seventh successive title. And while Haaland could have struggled in the Champions League, rather he has transferred his fine domestic form to continental competition. The 19-year-old netted from the bench against Liverpool, bagged twice against Napoli and hit a hat-trick in Salzburg's 6-2 win over Genk. 

He is already the highest scoring teenager in the Champions League group stage history with three games to go and is the the current top goalscorer with six goals to his name. In a group with both Liverpool and Napoli, Salzburg were always going to face an uphill struggle in their push for progression, though to their credit they sit just three points behind Liverpool at the halfway point of the group stages and having given the Reds a run for their money at Anfield, they'll fancy their chances of an upset at the Red Bull Arena. 

And Haaland will be central to an unlikely result against the European cup holders on home turf, particularly if he can maintain his blistering goalscoring form. The in demand hotshot striker has failed to score in just three of his 13 appearances for Salzburg this term, and one of those was in a match he started as a sub. 

As one might expect, interest in Haaland's signature has skyrocketed in recent weeks, with the likes of Liverpool and Napoli rumoured to be courting the striker as the January window looms, though it's Manchester United who are reportedly leading the race for his services. Salzburg would be reluctant to lose their prized asset at this stage of the campaign, particularly if they can perform the unthinkable and leapfrog one of Liverpool or Napoli into a top two spot in Group E. 

Even if they fail to land a place in the next round of the Champions League, Salzburg would be confident of European glory should they drop into the Europa League, with Haaland central to their push for silverware. The £4.5m spent to sign the forward a little under 12 months ago may have been a risk for a Salzburg side, whose club record signing was Maximilian Wober for £9.45m, but it's a gamble that has been worth taking with Salzburg in a position to command a top fee for Haaland as and when they elect to sell. 

And despite leading the goalscoring charts at this early stage, and hitting the back of the net every 33 minutes in the Champions League, Haaland remains one of the outside bets for a majority of betting sites to finish as top scorer in the competition, this regardless of his fine goal record.