Pep Guardiola has called on Erling Haaland to “deliver” and inspire another decade of success after signing a historic nine-and-a-half year contract at Manchester City.
City travel to Ipswich on Sunday looking for a third win in four matches to restart their Premier League season after a disappointing spell which saw them lose six matches in eight. “I’m really happy, but now we have to keep our promises,” Guardiola said after being stunned to learn the length of the striker’s contract.
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“I’ve been here for over 500 games, maybe 503 – and 485 of them, give or take, have been outstanding. The last 12 or 13 games haven’t gone the way we hoped, but if you look at the big picture, it’s a dream. If Erling is there, he must keep his promises. He has to perform well with the team and push himself – and they have to push each other. The manager will be with him. But we must keep our promises and continue to do so. »
Having spent the first half of the season without a natural striker in City’s squad following the sale of Julián Álvarez and with Haaland set to continue in east Manchester until the age of 33, being his understudy will be a difficult role. Since his arrival in 2022, the Norwegian has scored 111 goals in 125 games, won the Premier League twice and won the Champions League in addition to a plethora of individual awards.
City have agreed a deal to sign 25-year-old Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, who will be tasked with supporting Haaland. “The biggest strikers will not come to replace Erling, we need to find someone young to accept the role,” Guardiola said. “We will find a solution. We can’t go buy now [Kylian] Mbappé, of course. Mbappé was an example of playing a high, high, high, high level player. We should play differently. Normally we play with just one striker, that’s why the club and the incredible news it has, and of course we have alternatives, just in case Erling can’t play every game and every minute.
If Marmoush arrives at City, he will be able to study one of the best strikers in the world up close. “Absolutely,” Guardiola replied when asked if Haaland could be a role model. “That’s the best lesson we can give to young players, playing with these players. As a striker, Erling’s moment in the box, it’s incredible. How good is he, how good is he? Take a look and it’s the best way to improve yourself. Play minutes and learn from the best. And the best part, we had a lot of them in that time, over those 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 years.