Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has signed a new long-term contract with the English champions and set another Premier League record in the process.
Haaland only joined City back in 2022 on a lucrative five-year deal and it took no time at all for him to hit the ground running and become a Golden Boot winner in his debut season and smash numerous records in the process, but the club are clearly looking to lock down the generational forward even further.
The prolific Scandinavian striker has already scored 111 goals in 125 games for the Blues, so it’s just common sense to tie him down for as long as they possibly can – and when we say long…
Putting pen to paper on a new nine-and-a-half-year deal revealed on Friday, 17 January, Haaland has now committed to his future at the Etihad until 2034, which is a record for the lengthiest contract in Premier League history.
Man City may have rounded up to 10 in their official announcement but either way, a seven-year extension on an existing contract which is unquestionably already one of if not the highest-paying in the division is quite the statement from both parties.
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Haaland’s new terms see him surpass former City youth product Cole Palmer, whose switch to Chelsea on a nine-year deal was already groundbreaking for the league, having signed more than half a dozen players on contracts spanning seven years in 2023.
The big Norwegian number nine – who became a boyhood Blue during his dad’s playing days at the club – is set to earn a basic wage of approximately £500,000 a week, which is thought to make him the new highest earner after teammate Kevin De Bruyne (£400k).
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This means that not only is the 24-year-old forward tacking on another seven years but also a further £125kpw reported figures are accurate.
City also shared multiple videos celebrating the news and the often humourous Haaland has certainly relished the pageantry of it all:
Reflecting on his new deal, Haaland said in an official statement: “I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.
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“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.
“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.
“I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, who is set to leave at the end of this season, added: “Everyone at the Club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract. The fact he signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player and his love of this club.
“He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves. But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling’s dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.
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“He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club.”
Featured Images — Manchester City/Jacek Stanislawek (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Salford RLFC finally confirm new head and assistant coaches
Danny Jones
Salford RLFC have finally announced their new head and assistant coach picks as the new rugby league season fast approaches.
The Salfordian phoenix club had already confirmed they’d reached provisional pre-contract agreements with a new boss and several players following the news of the consortium bid that kept the sporting institution alive, but now they officially have a new leadership team to get behind.
Following Salford Red Devils’ resurrection by the aforementioned investment group – though it still remains unclear whether this will eventually include a full rebranding – familiar face Mike Grady and his assistant Dave Hewitt are now in place.
They replace ex-boss Paul Rowley, now at St Helens, and his assistant, Kurt Haggerty, who both left in October and September of last year, respectively.
Sharing the news in an official statement on their new Instagram account amid a major overhaul of their online presence, the local side wrote: “We are proud to announce Mike as the new Head Coach of Salford RLFC, joined by Dave Hewitt as Assistant Coach.
“Mike brings over 12 years of coaching experience across club and international rugby, most recently leading the Salford Women’s team and previously coaching at Widnes.
“His appointment marks another big step forward in our rebuild, combining experience, passion and a deep understanding of what Salford rugby league stands for: hard work, resilience and exciting rugby.
“Joining him, Dave Hewitt, former St Helens and England Academy player, will focus on developing our attacking play and nurturing new talent.”
Hewitt also played for Oldham RLFC across three spells, as well as Rochdale Hornets.
As for the board, they sign off by adding: “Together, Mike and Dave represent the energy and belief driving this new era for Salford RLFC.”
With several ‘key announcements’ soon to be made, we can expect a better idea of what the new and hopefully improved Salford will look like in time for their opener against the Roughyeds in the Championship on Friday, 16 January.
It is worth noting that the club have yet to reveal any actual squad signings.
As for co-owner Caton-Brown, who knows all about the club and the community from his several years playing in the area, we have the pleasure of chatting with him first-hand about the vision for their future.
As a result, Pep Guardiola and co. have decided to cut the 20-year-old’s loan spell at Championship outfit Watford FC short to bolster their ranks along the backline.
The Italian journalist gave the reports the ‘Here We Go!’ seal of approval on Monday, 5 January, following confirmation of Gvardiol‘s ankle problem.
“Man City act fast as Josko Gvardiol will now be out for several weeks with injury”, he writes, “and so Max Alleyne returns.”
Himself a bit of a utility player, having also been deployed in defensive midfield on occasion, the Bristol-born youth academy product could prove a useful option in various positions across the pitch.
While Guardiola admitted that the versatile Croatian star’s issue “doesn’t look good” – this being the same ankle he had surgery on back in November 2025 – it remains to be seen how serious his Portuguese teammate’s muscle concern is.
Romano continues: “Alleyne has been doing great at Watford on loan… City informed the London club this morning, even if they’re very happy [with] how they managed Max over recent months. Club-to-club good relationship, City wanted Alleyne in their squad ASAP, and Watford let Max leave today.”
The England prospect has represented his country in every age group from the under-17s to Lee Carsley’s U21 side, and has certainly impressed on the national stage.
Danny Jones -
17th January 2025 
