Pep Guardiola excited to work with Erling Haaland at Man City

Planet Sport writer
12 May 2022

Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland; Pep Guardiola's team are closing on a fourth Premier League title in five seasons

Man City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he is thrilled at the prospect of working with the "incredible" Erling Haaland and believes he will adapt perfectly next season.

An agreement with Borussia Dortmund over the signing of the Norwegian international was announced on Tuesday.

"It is a decision for club, the club make a good signing for the future and (he) comes for many, many years hopefully and I am pretty sure he will adapt perfectly to our team but it will be next season," Guardiola said after the 5-1 win at Wolves.

"I am excited with my job and of course I like to work with good players because the players make you a good manager. Of course he is an incredible young talent, with a perfect age and I am pretty sure we are going to help him as much as possible.

"I never thought that our defensive situation depends on the central defender and I never thought that the goals we score depend on the striker. He has scored a lot of goals in his career and we are going to try to help him through the game, having more chances to score goals.

Quality Norwegian

"We are never going to give him the responsibility to score goals. We have to win games and if we are going to win games we need everyone doing it the best way, arriving as much as possible. After, of course, if we arrive there, with the quality that we believe he has, we can do it.

"I respond because I have to do it and I am a polite man but this is next season. Now we have to work a lot this season. It is not done. We still have a job to do. We saw on Tuesday how tough Aston Villa will be and, of course, West Ham. So, I still have a job to do."

Another brilliant performance 😍 Offfttt well done @DeBruyneKev you goat 🐐 pic.twitter.com/6W3cxha93A
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) May 11, 2022

The Premier League champions will pay the striker's £51.1m release clause and he will arrive at the Etihad on July 1, subject to terms being finalised.

Guardiola also praised four-goal hero De Bruyne, who took his Premier League tally to 15 with his four strikes at Molineux and overall the midfielder has found the net on 19 occasions this term, his best-ever total.

"He is playing the last two or three months, especially in the Premier League, outstanding. In the Champions League as well so yeah, he has been our key man in the last part of the season," the City boss added.

4 goals. 3 points. 1 new ball for my kids. 😁 pic.twitter.com/AixLjl20zD
— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) May 11, 2022

"It is not just what he create and the goals, it is everything. He helps us a lot and I am happy because always Kevin has the sense for the assist and is so generous.

"He always thinks what is the best for the team but always we try to push him to win games and to win games we have to score goals. This year I think it is his most prolific year in this sense."