Haaland admits Man City are in 'rebuilding phase' as Arsenal hold title edge

Erling Haaland has described Manchester City as being in a ‘rebuilding phase’ ahead of what is expected to be another title battle with Arsenal, even as his goal secured a third consecutive Premier League win to open the season.

The Norwegian striker netted the only goal in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City, maintaining City’s perfect start under new manager Enzo Maresca. But speaking afterwards, Haaland was candid about the gap in maturity between the two title contenders.

“Arsenal have played together for a long time and have built this up over a longer period, a bit like City had when I first joined,” Haaland said. “We’re still in a kind of rebuilding phase, but the transfer window has been fantastic, I have to say. First and foremost, they’ve brought in fantastic footballers, but also great people who fit in really well.”

City are adapting to life after Pep Guardiola, who ended his trophy-laden tenure at the club last season. Guardiola oversaw five consecutive Premier League titles before Liverpool broke that run, with Arsenal then claiming the championship last year.

Maresca has inherited a squad undergoing significant change, particularly in midfield following the departures of Rodri and Bernardo Silva. The club spent in excess of £100 million on Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez — the latter arriving for a joint-record British transfer fee — while Ayyoub Bouaddi joined from Lille for £86 million.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have added Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa to their ranks but have yet to sign the elite attacker widely seen as a priority, a gap that has fuelled debate over whether they can retain the title.

Haaland was self-critical despite the win, reflecting on a first half in which City created numerous chances. “I think I should have scored a few more goals, to be honest, but I didn’t, so I need to practice more on that,” he said. “Second half we started really well as well but we managed to get them a little bit into the game which was not ideal — but we won, we get three points and we kept a clean sheet, which is also important. So a good start to the season.”