Erling Haaland can still improve after signing a bumper new contract at Manchester City, says manager Pep Guardiola.
Haaland has won the Premier League golden boot in each of his two full seasons with City so far and signed a deal to keep him at the club until 2034 on Friday morning.
Haaland will be 34 that summer and will be confident he can break Alan Shearer’s record of 260 Premier League goals if he achieves it.
Guardiola said: “If he continues with the numbers since he arrived, then yes [that is possible]. It will depend on the team and him, but it is exceptional news for the club.
“He loves the club and the people around him. He loves the Premier League and lives here with his family. He must feel that there is no better place for him in the next 10 years.
PEP 💬 After [Erling Haaland signed his contract] we congratulated ourselves. It makes me a better manager, a better staff, for sure. He helps me. pic.twitter.com/C4NyMzwG7m
-Manchester City (@ManCity) January 17, 2025
“Of course he can improve. We all can. The club and the team must create an environment and moments where he can be unstoppable. This is when he is at his best.
“More than anything, it’s about understanding the game, during the match and the decisions he has to make.
“He is still young and with the maturity of the games and games, it will happen naturally.”
City have had a disappointing season by their own high standards and head into this weekend in sixth place in the Premier League.
Haaland has scored 21 goals in all competitions, but has only scored seven in his last 16 games – which is slow compared to his normal ratio.
Shearer himself believes it’s only a matter of time before Haaland – who has 79 Premier League goals to date – catches him.
“If he stays that long, he will definitely break that record,” Shearer said. “It could be someone else’s by then – like Harry Kane or Mo Salah.
“But there’s no doubt if, and it’s a big if, because with a contract this long and taking him to 34, he should have a Premier League goalscoring record.
“It’s good news for the Premier League because we want all the best players in our league, but not so good for the defenders who will be chasing him for many years.”
