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Phil Foden has reached an agreement in principle over a new four-year deal at Manchester City.
The 25-year-old’s current contract was due to expire next summer but fresh terms will keep him at Etihad Stadium until 2030, with the option of another year.
Though midfielder Foden has struggled for form in recent months and has not scored since 14 December, a new contract signals a commitment from both parties to continue working together.
Foden came on as a substitute in Monday’s thrilling 3-3 draw at Everton, which leaves City five points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.
The midfielder will be hoping to secure a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Last month, boss Tuchel said Foden’s place in the squad is not guaranteed despite being the only player to start both games in England’s final camp before the tournament.
Foden was given his first-team debut as a 17-year-old by boss Pep Guardiola and has gone on to make 365 appearances for City, winning six Premier League titles, one Champions League and two FA Cups.
Despite his recent form, former Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney says Foden has to “play every game” for City.
“I think you have to put him in the team,” he said on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show. “I love watching him play, I love his little movements, how he gets into the pockets of space. It’s not nice watching him sitting on the bench.
“I think he was doing well [this season]. He’s had bad moments, but when you have a bad moment and you’re taken out and put on the sidelines for weeks on end, I just think a player of that quality, you have to just keep playing him.
“You’ve got [Jeremy] Doku there who can do anything. You’ve got [Antoine] Semenyo, who can go outside, come inside. It’s real power, pace and raw speed going up against you, so I don’t know whether that’s a reason why Foden’s not playing. Pep may want a little bit more help defensively.”
What is Foden’s role, and is he doing enough?
Foden’s descent down the Manchester City pecking order is a complicated one.
Come the end of the month, he may have racked up his highest number of appearances in a season across all club competitions, but in terms of starts and minutes played, this will be far from his most prominent campaign.
He is level on goals with Rayan Cherki, a player widely considered to be enjoying a fine first season in English football. Excluding last summer’s Club World Cup, Foden has made more starts than Cherki, Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Savinho and January signing Antoine Semenyo.
And yet, it feels like he is on the periphery of City’s title challenge.
Clearly, Guardiola still feels there is a role for Foden, and a new contract is a strong endorsement of the Englishman’s undoubted talents.
But what is that role? And is Foden doing enough when he is on the pitch?
The 25-year-old set a high bar with his performances in City’s Treble-winning 2023-24 season, registering a career-high 27 goals and 12 assists. The subsequent two years have been less productive, and Foden’s function in the side has changed.
The pacier options of Doku and Semenyo have been feeding the league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland, from out wide, with Cherki often preferred as the playmaker in an attacking midfield role.
That means Foden has occasionally operated deeper, limiting his ability to score and supply the killer pass.
Per 90 minutes, his attacking numbers aren’t favourable when compared with his colleagues in sky blue.
Foden’s most recent goal, on 14 December, was his sixth in four league matches.
Trailing Arsenal by five points with four games to play, City could do with a repeat of that form now.
