Erling Haaland claims Premier League rivals were 'lucky' to sign former teammate

Feargal Brennan

Erling Haaland claims Premier League rivals were 'lucky' to sign former teammate image

Pep Guardiola opted for change in his Manchester City squad this summer.

The Catalan coach spent £181m on new faces with several of his multiple Premier League title winning stars moving on.

Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne both departed, with Bernardo Silva promoted to club captain, as former skipper Ilkay Gundogan joined Galatasaray on a free transfer.

City's new-look squad have endured a mixed start to the new campaign with Tijjani Reijnders Rayan Cherki and Ginaluigi Donnarumma amongst the updated City lineup.

Guardiola also made a call to loan Jack Grealish to Everton for the 2025/26 campaign after omitting him from the FIFA Club World Cup squad in June.

Grealish started just seven Premier League games in 2024/25, and Guardiola was open on his view of the England international needing to play regularly to recapture his best level, but that was not an option at City.

📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

The 30-year-old is thriving in his early days on Merseyside, with four Premier League assists from three starts - compared to just in the whole of last season - and Erling Haaland believes David Moyes has pulled off a coup with Grealish.

Everton midfielder Jack Grealish

"Of course, it’s sad that he left us. I cannot joke around with him every day, but that’s football. I see him now, he’s happy, he’s playing every game, he’s performing, which is amazing to see,

"I’m super happy for him, Everton are lucky they have him. 

"I wish him all the best. I hope he continues with this. It’s a bit weird he’s there but that’s football."

Everton do not have a purchase clause included in their agreement with City and Guardiola could demand around £50m to consider a summer sale in 2026.

Man City news and related links

Feargal Brennan

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.