Manager Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland can still improve after signing a big new contract with Manchester City.
Haaland has won the Premier League Golden Boot in each of his two full seasons with City so far, and signed a contract to keep him at the club until 2034 on Friday morning.
Haaland will be 34 that summer and will feel confident of chasing Alan Shearer's record of 260 Premier League goals if he succeeds.
Guardiola said: “If he continues with the numbers since his arrival, then yes (it 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 living here with his family. He must feel there is no better place for him in the next 10 years.
Pep 💬 After (Erling Haaland signed his contract) we congratulated each other. It makes me a better manager, and a better employee, that's for sure. It 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 have to create an environment and moments in which he is unstoppable. That's when he is at his best.
“More than anything it's about understanding the game and during the game and the decisions he has to make.
“He is still young and as he matures in games and matches it will happen naturally.”
City have had a disappointing season by their high standards and will enter this weekend in sixth place in the Premier League.
Haaland has scored 21 goals in all competitions, but has scored just seven goals in his last 16 games, which is slow for his normal rate.
Shearer himself believes it is only a matter of time before Haaland – who has scored 79 goals in the Premier League so far – catches up with him.
“If he stays for a long time, there is no doubt that he will break this record,” Shearer said. “It could be someone else by then, like Harry Kane or Mohamed Salah.
He added: “But there is no doubt that he should have a Premier League goalscoring record, given such a long contract that takes him to 34 years.”
He added: “It is good news for the Premier League because we want the best players in the league, and this is not good for the defenders who will be chasing his tail for many years to come.”
