Erling Haaland contract is Man City's clearest hint yet over 115 charges verdict
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The numbers are staggering, the terms of Erling Haaland’s deal not far from being unprecedented in the history of truly elite club football. But read between the eye-watering lines of the 24-year-old’s nine-and-a-half year contract and the implications might be even more significant.
This is a marquee player - a marquee player in a global context - believing in the long-term prosperity of Manchester City. This is a marquee player believing whatever verdict is handed down on the 115 charges of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules will NOT derail the annual challenge for the biggest trophies. This is a marquee player believing in success post-Pep.
Yes, one of the many ramifications of this agreement is that Haaland sees himself at the Etihad long after Guardiola has gone. City executives are preparing for life without the genius coach. But Guardiola and Haaland will be in harness for another two seasons after this one and it does not take a great leap of imagination to suggest their new deals are signposts in the long-running legal case. The outcome of the independent commission’s hearing into the 115 charges is expected relatively soon.
It has been going on so long that speculation about the severity of any punishment - if City are, indeed, found guilty of breaches - has died down. But the threat of a points deduction that is draconian enough to ensure relegation is still there. Yet the Haaland deal is not just an example of City going about their business in a typically emphatic way, it looks like a statement of intent. Never mind the looming verdict, they are saying, this is a club that will continue to flex its intimidating financial muscle.
