Phil Foden has reportedly “agreed in principle” a new Manchester City contract that promises to keep the England international at the Etihad Stadium beyond his 30th birthday.
Foden previously signed a five-year deal in 2022 that is set to expire at the end of next season. But The Athletic writes that an extension “should be finalized” that will run to 2030, with the additional option of extending it through the summer of 2031.
Throughout his career, 25-year-old Foden had been represented by his family. But an important detail is that these negotiations were carried out by Rafaela Pimenta. The Brazilian lawyer manages City teammate Erling Haaland’s career, having inherited the late Mino Raiola’s stable in 2022.
Both player and club are keen to continue together, so no problems are expected to prevent the new deal from being signed “in due course.”
Foden was scouted by Manchester City at the age of four, with the club even funding a private education for the Stockport-born superstar. He made his first-team debut aged 17 in 2017, and has made more than 350 senior appearances to date. Having become a key player in 2020, Foden has made huge contributions to City’s dominance of English soccer over that period of time.
But, since peaking in 2023–24, Foden has struggled. That year, he completed a clean sweep of England’s big three individual awards—PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season—before enduring a troubling Euro 2024 with the national team.
He spoke about mental and physical challenges last May that had hamstrung his 2024–25 season and this one has been another campaign in which Foden hasn’t been at his best.
Foden Must Find Form, Reclaim Man City Starting Job
During a run of four Premier League matches in late November into mid-December, Foden scored six times and assisted once. But he hasn’t scored again in any competition since and has lost his place in City’s starting XI.
Stretching back to a halftime withdrawal against Manchester United on Jan. 17, Foden has only started two of City’s last 12 Premier League fixtures. He has been an unused substitute for three of those and has played five minutes or less in three others. Foden was also surprisingly left on the bench for both legs of the Champions league round of 16 clash with Real Madrid.
Part of the problem appears to be that Foden is a victim of his own versatility. During his winter form, he operated on the left, right and as a No. 10 across the four games. As such, he hasn’t been able to lock down a firm role in Pep Guardiola’s strongest team with the competition that exists.
With Jérémy Doku now back from injury starting on the left wing, Antoine Semenyo an automatic pick on the right since arriving in January and Rayan Cherki offering magic through the middle, Foden has been squeezed out.
2026 World Cup Foden’s Chance for Redemption
The March international break made it clear that England manager Thomas Tuchel is yet to figure out his best team. That could be to Foden’s advantage because it means nothing is going to be closed off when it comes to staking claims for places on the pitch in the summer.
In the months after Euro 2024, Foden was critical of former manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to play him on the left after a career year playing centrally for Manchester City. “The position I was put in on the left was very difficult to influence the game,” he told the Manchester Evening News.
This hasn’t been a great season for Jude Bellingham or Cole Palmer either, perhaps the most obvious No. 10 alternatives to Foden at Tuchel’s disposal. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has had the best season of all the options, but his last England start came on the right flank in March. Foden started both March matches in a central area, which bodes well for him in one sense. In another, England as a team massively underperformed in both of those tests against Uruguay and Japan.
Still, if Foden manages to harness his world-class talent to have a good World Cup, it could be the reset moment his career needs that would then justify Manchester City’s undeniable faith.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Agreed’—Man City Show the Ultimate Faith in Phil Foden Amid Continued Struggles.
