Erling Haaland says Manchester City are entering a promising phase as a refreshed squad settles, with the striker driving another strong campaign that has already brought the 2025-26 EFL Cup, a place in the FA Cup final, and a Premier League title fight with Arsenal still finely balanced.
The 25-year-old, who joined Manchester City in 2022, leads the Premier League scoring chart with 24 goals and has 31 direct goal contributions this season. Manchester City are three points behind Arsenal with one game in hand and will meet Chelsea in the FA Cup final on 16 May.
Manchester City face a key spell in the league, with Everton and Brentford next as they chase Arsenal at the top. Haaland remains central to that push and is under contract at Manchester City until
June 2034, giving the club long-term security around their leading forward.
Across recent seasons, Pep Guardiola's squad has changed, with Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Kyle Walker departing. Bernardo Silva is due to leave when the current contract ends this summer, while John Stones is reported to be considering an exit that would further alter the Manchester City core.
Manchester City have turned towards younger options, bringing in Marc Guehi, Nico Gonzalez and Rayan Cherki to reshape the group. Haaland feels these signings are still adjusting to their surroundings and spoke to ESPN about the process, stressing that the larger changes have only recently gathered pace around the club.
An absolute screamer which takes us to the FA Cup final pic.twitter.com/gOJffQZ8ClManchester City (@ManCity) April 26, 2026
Haaland highlighted how new arrivals must settle into both club and league. "There's been lots of players that have been here for a long time. So with new players, it takes time. It's not easy to come into a new league for someone, new country, all of this. It takes time to adapt. I think exciting times [are coming] and I'm looking forward to being a part of it. I'm super happy and I'm looking forward to what's next because I think it's exciting times for City as a club and also me as a player. I'm looking forward to continuing with City. "
The striker’s outlook underlines Manchester City's belief that early trophies, a close title race and a younger squad can set up the club for future seasons, with Haaland expecting further progress while remaining committed to the project at the Etihad Stadium.
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