LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Pep Guardiola said on Friday Erling Haaland’s new nine-and-a-half-year contract at Manchester City is “exceptional news” for the Premier League champions.

The 24-year-old striker’s existing deal was due to expire in June 2027 but he has now committed his future to the club for the next decade.

The Norwegian made an instant impact after arriving in Manchester from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 and his overall tally for the club is a remarkable 111 goals in 126 games.

Haaland’s decision to commit his long-term future to City is a major coup for the club during a season in which they have unexpectedly struggled on the pitch.

Guardiola, speaking just hours after City announced the blockbuster deal, said the length of the agreement showed Haaland’s confidence in the future of the club, who have dominated English football over the past decade.

“It’s exceptional news for all of us,” the City manager told a pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s match at relegation-threatened Ipswich.

“When one player decides to sign this type of contract, never done before, it’s because he wants to show how desperate he is to be here.”

Guardiola was asked why Haaland, who has scored 16 Premier League goals so far this season, had agreed such a long deal.

“I think what happened is that he loves the club, the people he’s around, he loves the Premier League, he loves to be here with his wife and now his father,” said the Spaniard.

“I think he visualised that there is no better place that I could be right now in the next 10 years, I would say. That’s why he and his family decided to do this step.”

Guardiola said Haaland could get even better and insisted he has no concerns the forward’s appetite for success will be reduced by signing such a long-term deal.

“I didn’t speak to him about his motivation,” he added. “I think it’s winning the next game and scoring goals.

“I don’t have the feeling now he has the contract he will take a nap. I don’t think this will happen.

“He loves to play and he is a huge competitor, and at the same time in good and bad moments, he’s good at forgetting about it immediately, putting it in the back [of his mind] and getting on with the next.”

City won the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in Haaland’s first season at the Etihad and they claimed a record-breaking fourth-successive English top-flight title last season.

But they are currently sixth in the Premier League table, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, and are highly unlikely to make it five in a row.