Erling Haaland’s agent has said that his star client is now the most valuable player in the world, stating that he is now worth a whopping €1 billion.
The transfer window slammed shut on 31 January and, obviously, there was no chance of Haaland leaving the Etihad, but the 22-year-old superstar’s agent has still been talking about her client and what she deems to be his current market value.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with sporting outlet AS, Brazilian agent Rafaela Pimenta was talking about how she took over managing the City striker as a client after former representative and renowned football agent, Mino Raiola, passed away in April of 2022.
Discussing everything from the power balance between player and agent to Haaland’s personality and how social media can help be a gift or a curse, the 50-year-old was eventually asked how much she thinks he is worth today. She already had the extraordinary figure in her head back in October.
"Erling Haaland could be the first £1bn player!" 🤯
Doubling down on the statement on Wednesday, 1 February, she told AS‘ Marco Ruiz: “For me, Haaland is worth 1,000 million [roughly £895 million]. Maybe nobody is going to pay that, but it is the potential that he has when he arrives at a club.”
Contextualising the number, she noted that Paul Pogba was valued at “£80 million and everyone said… It’s incredible! Today many are worth it. The top is at Neymar’s €222m… The numbers change.”
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Pimenta worked alongside Raiola for more than 20 years, helping engineer deals like Pogba’s return to Manchester United for a then-world record fee. She has since inherited his football agency empire, representing the likes of Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Erling Haaland and more.
She went on to insist that with a player like Haaland, you’re not just getting his performances on the pitch: you’re paying for the full package and that’s why she feels he should be valued so highly.
“With him comes fans, goals, sports results, professionalism, digital content, notoriety, sponsors… If you put all this together, his value is an aggregate of many things. But the price of a footballer is actually set by a club.”
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She went on to admit that while she believes “nobody is going to pay 700 million for a player”, she stands behind her statement that “the value Erling adds when he arrives at a club is immense, at least 1,000 million.”
Haaland is already said to be on nearly £900k a week thanks to his current deal — we don’t even want to think of what his compensation would look like if the numbers ever get that ridiculous.
With City’s number nine on course to break all manner of records, especially with those in blue around him giving him plenty of service and a platform to shine even brighter on the world stage, we really couldn’t put a number on how much Haaland is worth… but a billion!?
Elsewhere in the interview, Pimenta refused to confirm whether her client has a release clause in his contract, simply replying: “I’m not saying anything.” This comes after manager Pep Guardiola insisted no such clause exists at present.
She was also probed as to whether she expects Haaland to play in Spain one day, with Real Madrid mentioned specifically; all she would say is that “today he is very happy at City. Tomorrow, we’ll have to think about it”.
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How long do you see Erling Haaland staying at City for?
Manchester City finally release special Year of the Horse collection for Lunar celebrations
Danny Jones
Manchester City have officially launched their new ‘Year of the Horse’ kit, along with several other items in their latest lifestyle range.
The collection, which has been released as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, was leaked online in late 2025 before being officially teased earlier this year, but now Man City have fully unveiled the limited edition clothing items.
It follows the commercial success of their previous Chinese New Year-inspired kits and wider fashion lines over the last few seasons.
For anyone not up to speed on their Zodiac calendar knowledge, 2026 is officially (you guessed it) the year of the horse, hence this choice for the new ‘Capsule Collection’.
“Set in earthy, neutral tones, the limited-edition Year of the Horse Capsule Collection captures both the stillness of vintage Chinese portraiture and the motion of a team in full stride.”
Revolving around a grey and almost beige colour palette, the full drop includes a new pre-match ‘Anthem’ jacket, a dark graphic design tee, a baseball cap, as well as a soft horse plushie.
The focal point, however, is obviously the jersey itself – though it remains to be confirmed whether or not the special seasonal strip will be worn in any games this campaign as other one-off/special limited edition shirts have been in the past.
The price points range from £15 for the soft toy to £90 for the adult shirt, with the aforementioned Puma KING Anthem zip-up jacket already available in six colours.
What do you make of the latest lifestyle collection, Blues?
Somewhat fittingly, the Year of the Horse and other items finally debuted on the same day that their local rivals across the other side of town, Manchester United, released some new threads of their own: the second Adidas x The Stone Roses collection.
As for this years Lunar celebrations, the official plans for here in Manchester city centre have now been revealed. You can find out more down below.
Stockport County confirm signing of new striker Adama Sidibeh
Danny Jones
Stockport County Football Club have officially unveiled the signing of new striker, Adama Sidibeh, from St Johnstone FC.
This comes after weeks of uncertainty over whether or not the deal for the forward was going to be done, despite his medical having already been passed.
Sidibeh was linked with a move from the Scottish Premiership quite early in the January transfer window, and the transfer fee had already reportedly been agreed, but there was apparently to be some contention over personal terms.
However, it seems the impasse has now been overcome and a full agreement reached, with the Hatters finally announcing the completion of his deal on Tuesday, 27 January.
As you can see, the Gambian international is no stranger to England nor the North West, having moved back to the UK to be with his family in 2022, before going on to join local Stockport club Cheadle Heath Nomads in 2022.
Moving on to nearby Cheshire outfit Warrington Rylands FC the following season, he continued to prove himself as a quick and consistent goal threat, ultimately sealing a switch to The Saints in 2024.
Sidibeh’s transfer fee from St Johnstone to SCFC remains undisclosed.
Penning a two-and-a-half-year contract, the latest County recruit is the third signing of the January transfer window so far, following the most recent arrival of Josh Dacres-Cogley from Bolton Wanderers earlier this month.
Having been given the number 26, he is the latest offensive reinforcement at Edgeley Park as they look to enjoy a fairly ‘aggressive’ window, as promised.
Speaking on his new home in a club statement, the 27-year-old said: “I’m so excited to be [sitting] here now as a Stockport County player.
“It’s a town and a club I already know so well from my time at Nomads, which made it an easy decision for me and my family to come here once we heard that County were interested.
“I can’t wait to get going now, to start my career in the Football League and to play in front of 10,000 fans at Edgeley Park. I’ve worked very hard to get to this place in my career since moving to England, and will work even harder now I’m here to help the team as we go for promotion.”
As for his new manager, Dave Challinor made it clear they were keen to capitalise on his contract running out, adding that apart from being a bit of a late bloomer in pro football, “he’s a real hard worker that provides real intensity in his press. and really wants to threaten defenders both in and out of possession.”
“He’s scored all types of goals at every level he’s played at, but this will, without doubt, be a step up for him” – it just remains to be seen how he’ll take to the League One and wider EFL challenge.
Danny Jones -
2nd February 2023 
