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Jack Grealish has hailed new Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland as “probably the best striker in the world”.
The Norwegian has agreed a deal with the Premier League champions to sign from Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of £51million (€60m).
Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 games for Dortmund in his time in Germany, and Grealish – who himself signed for City for a club-record £100m from Aston Villa last year – is looking forward to linking up with the 21-year old.
Speaking to Mirror Football, Grealish also outlined his desire to improve his own output at the Etihad Stadium, saying: “I wish I had scored and assisted more but at the end of the day, I didn’t say that at the start of the season when I came here.
“The one thing I said was that I wanted to win stuff and the main thing I wanted to win was the Premier League. That was my main target and I’ve done that. I know personally I can push on next year and hopefully I do.
“We’ve signed a top striker, probably the best striker in the world in Haaland, so I’m sure he will contribute. It will be a season to look forward to.
“I’m looking forward to playing with him. Who wouldn’t be? As a number nine, he’s definitely in the top two, top one in the world.”
Grealish recorded just 10 goal involvements (six goals, four assists) in 39 appearances (31 starts) in all competitions last season, though only Kevin De Bruyne (94) created more than his 76 chances from open play for Pep Guardiola’s team.
City won one trophy in 2021-22, pipping Liverpool to the Premier League title on the final day of the season after a 3-2 comeback against Grealish’s former team, Villa, and the England international wants to add to that haul next season.
“You can imagine what the critics would have said; if I would have went for the price tag that I went for and then not won anything in my first season,” he said.
“To be able to prove them wrong and even just sit at home with my Premier League medal is a dream come true. I just want to win everything that I play in. We want to win. At the end of your career, you look back on your medals and what you’ve won.
“I’m not saying I just want to win the Champions League next year. I want to win everything. I want to win the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, the Premier League. That’s what I’ve come here to do.
“I think I will improve next year, I know I will. I know there will be even more pressure on me next year than there was this year.”
