Erling Haaland Makes Premier League Title Vow—But Can Man City Deliver Next Season?

The Cityzens went from four consecutive Premier League titles to missing out on the last two.

Erling Haaland wants the Premier League title back at the Eithad. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland encouraged his teammates to use their Premier League title failure as “motivation” for next season, asserting back-to-back years without hoisting the league trophy is simply “not good enough.”

The Cityzens saw their renewed Premier League title push end with a whimper on Tuesday evening at the Vitality Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s men needed a win against Bournemouth to drag the race into the final matchday at the weekend, but they only managed a 1–1 draw.

The result handed Arsenal the league title—their first in 22 years—and brought despair to City, who have now missed out on England’s most prestigious prize for the second year running, a first in the Guardiola era at the Etihad.

Despite winning the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, City’s league shortcomings stained 2025–26, and Haaland is not going to let his team forget the feeling.

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Haaland Issues Rallying Cry After Gifting Arsenal the Title

Erling Haaland was not impressed with his team on Tuesday. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Soon after the final whistle sounded on Tuesday, Haaland unleashed a fiery rant that showed just how high the standards are at City.

“In the end, every game in the Premier League is difficult. We tried. It wasn’t enough,” Haaland told City Studios after the draw, in which he scored his side’s only goal in the 95th minute.

“The whole club should use this as motivation now. We should be angry, we should feel a fire inside our belly because it’s not good enough. It’s gone two years now. It feels like forever.

“We’re going to do everything we can, everyone that will be here next season, to win the league.”

City are guaranteed a runners-up finish, an improvement from their third-place disappointment last season but still well short of the club’s expectations. The Cityzens previously secured the English crown six times under Guardiola, only falling short once between 2017–18 and 2023–24.

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Can City Deliver on Haaland’s Promise?

Pep Guardiola is expected to leave City at the end of the season. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

A similar sentiment was no doubt shared in the City dressing room after their catastrophic 2024–25 campaign, and yet the team could not reclaim their Premier League glory. The door was open for Guardiola’s men after their nine-point gap to Arsenal disappeared in the span of 11 days back in April, but dropped points at Everton and Bournemouth ultimately sealed their fate.

The Sky Blues get another chance at redemption next season, but it is looking like they will have to do so without Guardiola in the dugout. Reports claim the Spaniard is leaving the club after a decade in charge, signaling the end of an era at City.

Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is the frontrunner to take his place on the touchline, but even a manager as solid as the Italian might not be able to produce a Premier League title in his debut campaign with a new team, one that is losing Bernardo Silva this summer and possibly Rodri, who remains linked with Real Madrid.

Then there’s the competition to consider. Arsenal will no doubt bolster their attack this summer in an effort to go back-to-back, while Manchester United are once again formidable foes under the expected guidance of Michael Carrick.

City can hang with the best of them, but a period of such transition might require a level of consistency the team may lack in the early stages with such turnover expected.

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