Erling Haaland Urges Accountability, Rejects the ‘New Signings’ Excuse at Manchester City

Erling Haaland keeps scoring goals at will, and he doesn’t believe Manchester City can use the excuse that key players left and no major signings were made—even though City bought two of last season’s best midfielders.

Manchester City will face their biggest rival, Manchester United, on Sunday, September 14. As players return from international duty, some are taking part in press conferences ahead of the match, and Haaland didn’t hold back when asked about City’s current form.

City recently lost 2-1 to Brighton in the Premier League, and Haaland said the overall mood in the squad is one of “revenge.” According to him, it’s all about “turning things around and wanting to win after a loss.” At the same time, he insisted the team’s struggles can’t be blamed on a lack of signings—pointing out that City is too big of a club to lean on excuses.

"We're too good for that [new signings adjusting] to be an excuse. Whoever plays, we know what to do and how to win. We need to improve as a team. That's not an excuse. That's what the club pays us for...," Erling Haaland told Jack Gaughan from Daily Mail.

Haaland heads into the derby after a massive international performance against Moldova in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where he scored five goals and added an assist.