Erling Haaland at Manchester City: which records could Norwegian break?
The striker has signed a lucrative new deal to keep him at Manchester City until 2034
Erling Haaland’s new Manchester City contract makes him the first Premier League player to earn £500,000 per week. The Norwegian has penned a deal which ties him to the Sky Blues to 2034 and with image rights factored in, the 24-year-old’s total weekly salary could rise to an unbelievable £750,000. How much?
With City struggling following a recent run of defeats and a decision set to be announced soon over alleged breaches of the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules, the new deal is a huge statement of intent from the champions. And the Sky Blues are not stopping there, with several signings set to be completed this month to strengthen an ailing squad for the second half of the season and the years ahead.
Manager Pep Guardiola also recently signed a new contract, bringing an end to speculation he could walk away from City either now or in the summer. But Haaland’s fresh deal has sent shockwaves through the football world.
The Norwegian is understood to have clauses in his contract which would allow him to join Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in future, although not until 2029. By then, Haaland may be seeking a new challenge, so it makes sense. As things stand, no other European club could afford him anyway.
What about City’s 130 charges of breaking the Premier League’s FFP rules? This new deal would seem to suggest that no serious punishment lies ahead for the Sky Blues, with a decision expected in February. But if the club is hit with sanctions, this deal and the flurry of new signings this month will have set them up for success, even if there is a significant points deduction or relegation. The sudden spending spree has also led to claims that City could be hit with a transfer ban, but this seems less likely given their lack of movement in the summer.
Haaland has already broken a series of records since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022. His 36 goals in 2022-23 is the highest by any player in a Premier League season, while his 52 overall was eight better than the previous mark for a PL player in all competitions, which was shared by Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy on 44. Those goals were pretty useful too, with City winning the treble that season.
To find a player who scored more in an English top-flight season, you have to go all the way back to 1927-28, when Dixie Dean hit 63 goals in all competitions for Everton. In the league, meanwhile, Southampton’s Ron Davies netted 37 in 1966-66, but that was in a 42-game campaign.
The quickest player to reach 50 and 75 Premier League goals, Haaland made it to 100 in all competitions in just 105 games and he has converted against all 23 teams he has faced in England’s top flight. With the Norwegian now set to stay for the long term at City, where his father Alf-Inge Haaland played between 2000 and 2003, he could go on to obliterate a series of long-standing records.
Haaland currently has 79 Premier League goals from his 87 appearances in the competition. If the Norwegian carries on scoring at his current rate, Opta have calculated that he will break Alan Shearer’s record of 260 Premier League goals by the time he has played his 287th match – or in the second half of the 2029-30 season if he avoids injury and keeps playing as many games as he is now.
And if he stays for his entire contract, he could even be in with a chance of beating Jimmy Greaves’ top-flight goals record of 357. Opta calculate that his current rate would bring him 373 by the end of his deal, although maintaining those numbers for all that time seems a big ask. Dixie Dean’s record of 310 for one club (Everton) could be within reach, though. And it seems likely that Sergio Agüero’s City record of 260 goals in all competitions will be beaten. In fact, Haaland is almost half way there in just two-and-a-half seasons at the Etihad.
City announced Haaland’s new deal in a video on social media in which the Norwegian reads an open letter to his opponents. “Dear defenders, I’ve been reflecting on these last few years together. Like any relationships, there’s been ups and downs, highs and lows. That’s natural. Yes, we’ve had our battles, but you pushed me top be the best version of myself,” he wrote.
“While things can get heated, we all need to let our hair down sometimes. Anyway, there's been a lot of rumours flying around recently. I get it. Sometimes you might not want me around, but I think we need each other. In other words, you complete me. So all I have to say is: sorry, I have to stay. Erling,” he adds.
Haaland has been criticised for his cold and clinical style, which some supporters of rival clubs have described as boring, but the Norwegian is box office and already one of the greatest to have graced the Premier League. His renewal is clearly great news for City and also for the PL itself, unless the competition were genuinely planning a big punishment for the Sky Blues. For defenders up and down the country and for City’s rivals, meanwhile, it is more ominous – and they will just have to find better ways to stop him from scoring. Good luck with that.
Please check: https://open.substack.com/pub/boysinblue?r=295m4&utm_medium=ios