Haaland backs Arsenal as title rivals but warns City's rebuild is far from over

Erling Haaland has named Arsenal as genuine Premier League title contenders this season, but the Manchester City striker insists his own club’s summer overhaul leaves them in a very different position to the Gunners as the campaign gets under way.

Speaking to Viaplay ahead of City’s 1-0 win over Coventry City on Saturday, Haaland drew a direct comparison between the two sides. “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,” he said. “We’re still in a kind of rebuilding phase, but the transfer window has been fantastic, I have to say. Well done to the club and the people at the club.”

Haaland also singled out City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak for praise, adding: “First and foremost, they’ve brought in fantastic footballers, but also great people who fit in really well.”

City have started the season with three wins from three under new manager Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer. The club have undergone significant change, losing Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones, while bringing in Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson, Iliman Ndiaye and Ayyoub Bouaddi, with the midfield department particularly reshaped.

Arsenal, by contrast, have retained the core of the squad that ended the club’s 22-year wait for a league title last season. Mikel Arteta has added Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis to strengthen his starting options, while largely preserving the continuity he believes will be key to winning back-to-back titles — something the club has not achieved in nearly a century.

On the subject of Guimaraes, Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson has conceded that selling the Brazilian midfielder to Arsenal was not part of the club’s plans this summer, an admission that underlines how determined Guimaraes himself was to make the move to north London.