Pep Guardiola accepts Erling Haaland’s bumper new contract could prevent Manchester City signing any more top-level strikers. The City manager’s comments come as the club appear to be closing in on a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush.
The prolific Haaland, who has scored 111 goals in just 126 appearances for City, committed himself to the reigning Premier League champions until 2034 when he signed a remarkable new nine-and-a-half year deal this week. His long-term presence in the squad will limit opportunities for others up front, meaning any new recruits will have to accept a back-up role or – potentially like Marmoush – offer something different to get into the team.
Guardiola said: “The bigger strikers will not come to be a replacement for Erling, so we have to find them young to accept the role. “Or they’re different players – like Oscar (Bobb), (James) McAtee, Phil (Foden), and maybe without Erling we’ll play a different way, with a false nine, with alternatives, with more runners from outside, more runners for the channels inside. We will find solutions.
“We could not go to sign (Kylian) Mbappe, for example, as a top-class player because normally we play with just one striker. “But of course we have alternatives just in case Erling cannot play all the minutes. We have other options.”. City are understood to have agreed a fee with Frankfurt for Egypt international Marmoush, who can operate across the front line.
