Riyad Mahrez has tweeted a cheeky comment after the signing of Erling Haaland to Manchester City was announced.
The Algerian star famously went viral with the former Borussia Dortmund ace when the pair were filmed together on holiday partying. The footage from 2021 perked up the interest of many Man City fans, who thought that it could lead to Haaland making the move to the Eithad.
At the time, Mahrez did not do much to help matters, by tweeting along with an emoji of a detective: “Agent Mahrez on duty.” “The former Leicester City star then replied to” “(just having fun calm down),” along with a laughing emoji and a blue heart.
Obviously, Man City did not sign a marquee striker during that summer window and even let Harry Kane pass them by, with the Tottenham star remaining in north London. But now that Norway international Haaland has been confirmed as a new player for Pep Guardiola, Mahrez was quick to put out another tweet referencing the previous links.
Retweeting his old tweet when he wrote “just having fun”, the winger said on Monday: “Or not..” along with eye emojis and the detective uniform once again.
Do you think Mahrez had a hand in getting the deal over the line? Give us your thoughts in the comments section.
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Indeed, on Monday the Premier League champions announced that they have nabbed the signature of one of the best attackers in Europe. Haaland - whose father Alf-Inge also played for the side - signed a five-year deal until 2027.
And during his unveiling, Haaland even made reference to his meeting with Mahrez. “Yes, he [Mahrez’ told me to come to City, so he was right about that. He talks, he said some good things about the club,” Haaland said.
Before adding: “This is a proud day for me and my family. I have always watched City and have loved doing so in recent seasons. You can’t help but admire their style of play - it’s exciting and they create a lot of chances, which is perfect for a player like me,” he added.
“There are so many world-class players in this squad and Pep [Guardiola] is one of the greatest managers of all-time, so I believe I am in the right place to fulfil my ambitions.
“I want to score goals, win trophies, and improve as a footballer and I am confident I can do that here. This is a great move for me, and I can’t wait to get started in pre-season.”