Erling Haaland dismisses Manchester City legal questions and backs long-term future

Erling Haaland has responded with humour to questions about Manchester City’s alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations, while insisting his long-term contract shows he remains fully committed to the club.

The Norway striker was speaking after scoring in his country’s 3-1 Nations League win over Wales under manager Craig Bellamy. He was asked about the case involving more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League rules and the ruling connected to the proceedings.

Haaland initially answered by listing the teams he played for as a youngster.

“In 2009, I played for Bryne Under-9s, in 2010 for the Under-10s and in 2011 for the Under-11s,” he said. “In 2012, I played for the Under-12s and then the Under-13s. Do you want me to continue the list? We do not need to mention all of it.”

He then continued by naming the sides he represented during the period relevant to the allegations.

“In 2014, I played for the Under-14s, and in 2015 for the Under-15s and the national team,” Haaland added. “After that I played for the Under-16s, I think. In 2016, I moved into the first team, second team and youth team at Bryne.

“In 2017, I moved to Molde. I continued there in 2018, playing for the first team and Molde 2, and I also spent some time with the youth team.”

Haaland said the matter was difficult for him to address because it was a legal dispute between the Premier League and Manchester City.

“It is a case between the Premier League and Manchester City, and a committee will deal with it,” he said. “Am I supposed to answer that? I am not really sure.”

He also joked that several Norway players who were at Manchester City during the period in question might be better placed to discuss the allegations.

“I think quite a few Norwegian players were at the club during that time,” he said. “There was Abdisalam Ibrahim, Martin Samuelsen and Omar Elabdellaoui, and Kjetil Haug was there too. I think there were more players, but I cannot remember their names.”

Haaland said he had not read much about the case and did not know when answers would emerge.

“My focus is on trying to perform as well as possible for Manchester City,” he said. “It is the club I signed a five-year contract with in 2022, and then extended my contract by nine and a half years in late 2024. I think that says everything. I am a Manchester City player and I am extremely happy there.”

Asked whether the case had affected his thinking about his future, Haaland referred again to his decision to sign a long-term deal.

“I understand you want a headline, but I signed a long-term contract in 2024,” he said. “I think I made a very good decision joining Manchester City in 2022, and we can all agree on that.”

Haaland added that his trophies and development reflected the decision, before saying City would try to improve their league form against Fulham. He said his immediate focus, however, was Norway’s match against Denmark.