Phil Foden set for new Manchester City deal as contract talks reach agreement in principle

Agreement in principle on a long-term extension

Phil Foden is poised to extend his Manchester City career after the club and player agreed terms in principle on a new four-year contract. The deal is expected to take the 25-year-old through to 2030, and it also includes an option to add a further year.

The timing is notable because Foden is approaching the final year of his current agreement, with his existing terms due to expire in the summer of 2027. While the contract is not yet presented as formally completed, the outline is clear: City are preparing to tie down one of their most recognisable academy graduates for the long term.

For City, it is a statement of intent around continuity. For Foden, it represents both security and a vote of confidence at a moment when his role has been under closer scrutiny than at any time since he broke into the first team.

A career built at his boyhood club

Foden’s story at City has been defined by progression through the club’s academy and an early first-team breakthrough. He made his debut at the age of 17 in 2017, and has since collected a trophy haul that places him among the most decorated English players of his generation.

Since that debut, the midfielder has won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cups. Those honours underline the scale of City’s success in the period Foden has been part of the senior squad, and they also reflect how long he has been around a team that has consistently competed at the highest level domestically and in Europe.

Even as City have evolved season to season, Foden has remained a prominent figure within the squad, often cited as a symbol of the club’s pathway from academy to elite competition.

This season: solid output, but a changing role

On paper, Foden’s numbers this season show meaningful contribution. Across all competitions, he has scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 46 appearances. In the Premier League specifically, he has made 21 starts, scoring seven goals and registering three assists.

However, the broader picture described around his campaign is more complicated than the raw totals suggest. After a standout 2023/24 season, he has struggled to reproduce those heights for City. The narrative around his form has shifted from expectation of dominance to questions about consistency and impact.

It is also noted that he has contributed fewer goals and assists across the last two seasons combined, and that his place as a regular starter in Pep Guardiola’s side has been affected. His last City goal came in December, and his recent output has been characterised by a sharp drop-off after the turn of the year, with only one assist since then.

There were, however, hints of a revival in late November and early December, when he scored six times in five appearances. That run suggested the level remains accessible, but it did not develop into a sustained return to his best form.

From career-best accolades to a sudden dip

The contrast with last season is stark. In 2023/24, Foden produced what is described as his career-best campaign, earning Premier League Player of the Season and PFA Players’ Player of the Year. Those awards placed him at the centre of the league’s conversation and marked him out as one of the division’s defining performers.

Yet the subsequent decline has been framed as sudden, coming directly after a season in which he was widely celebrated. He became the Premier League’s first English Player of the Season since Jamie Vardy in 2016, a detail that reinforced the significance of his achievement and the expectation that he would build on it.

Instead, the months that followed have been portrayed as a struggle to match the same level of influence, with only flashes of his previous form. The question now is not whether he has talent—his best season provided a clear answer—but whether he can reliably access that level again in the role and environment he finds himself in.

International focus: Tuchel’s assessment raises stakes

Foden’s club form has intersected with scrutiny at international level. England head coach Thomas Tuchel has publicly raised doubts about Foden’s inclusion for the World Cup this summer after a disappointing international break.

In the March friendlies, Foden was the only player in England’s expanded squad to start both matches. He played as a No 10 against Uruguay and as a false nine against Japan, but did not impress in either position.

Tuchel’s comments were measured but revealing. He said: “He tried everything. I would say he was excellent in camp but, yeah, he struggles to show it on the pitch.” Tuchel also referenced the context of limited minutes at City, adding that Foden arrived with “the brightest smile” and performed well in training, but could not translate that into the same impact during matches.

When pressed on whether that creates doubts about World Cup inclusion, Tuchel was direct: “Well, it’s not a guarantee that he will come.”

Those remarks do not close the door, but they do underline that Foden’s status at international level is no longer assumed. With selection framed as conditional, the remainder of his club season and the start of the next one become even more important in shaping how he is viewed.

Euro 2024: expectations and a lack of end product

The gap between expectation and output has also been highlighted through his international record at Euro 2024. The assumption after his award-winning 2023/24 season was that he would carry that form into England’s tournament. He started every game, but failed to register a single goal contribution.

That lack of end product became part of the conversation around his form, and it is described as having gone viral in terms of statistical attention after the tournament. In the context of his subsequent struggles, it has contributed to a sense that he faces a battle not only to regain club form but also to secure his place in England’s plans.

City’s perspective: continuity amid potential change

While a new deal might appear oddly timed given the recent dip, the reasoning presented from City’s side carries its own logic. The club is expected to say goodbye to Bernardo Silva this summer, which would leave a significant void in midfield. At the same time, Guardiola is described as being rumoured to be edging towards an exit.

Against that backdrop, tying down Foden can be seen as an effort to preserve continuity—both in terms of squad identity and in maintaining a core of players with deep connections to the club. Foden’s status as a local figure with “Mancunian roots” is framed as part of the value he provides beyond pure numbers.

In other words, City’s thinking may not be limited to a simple assessment of recent form. It may also reflect planning for a period of transition, where retaining a long-established player could help stabilise the squad if other senior figures depart.

Competition, confidence, and the search for consistency

The assessment of Foden’s recent period includes pointed references to confidence and selection. It is stated that Guardiola no longer trusts him in big games “if at all,” and that younger options have been preferred in midfield. The idea presented is that Foden has been overtaken in the pecking order, with examples given of other players being selected ahead of him.

At the same time, Guardiola has spoken in support of him in press conferences, describing him as a “top, top player.” That contrast—public backing versus reduced on-pitch prominence—captures the uncertainty around his current standing.

Statistically, the season includes a productive spell and a quieter stretch. The description of “one solitary assist since the turn of the year” is used as a marker of a player struggling for confidence. Yet the earlier run of six goals in five appearances shows that he can still deliver decisive moments.

The question, then, is not whether Foden can produce, but whether he can do so consistently enough to reclaim a central role for City and regain the automatic international status his peak form once suggested.

What the new deal could represent

If finalised as expected, the new contract would be a significant commitment from both sides. For City, it would secure a player who has already contributed to an era of major trophies and who remains in what are often considered peak years for a midfielder. For Foden, it would reaffirm his long-term future at the club where he emerged and achieved his biggest honours.

It also sets up an intriguing next phase. The discussion around his form suggests that a change—whether in role, confidence, or coaching environment—could be key to unlocking his best level again. The idea is floated that it may take a new head coach to bring out that quality, particularly if the club’s leadership changes in the near future.

Ultimately, the agreement in principle indicates that City are willing to bet on the player they have known since his academy days, even as his recent performances have prompted debate. The next step will be turning that belief into a sustained return to the standards that made him the standout of 2023/24.

Key points

• Phil Foden and Manchester City have agreed terms in principle on a new four-year contract.
• The deal is expected to run until 2030 and includes an option for an additional year.
• Foden’s current contract is due to expire in the summer of 2027.
• He has won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cups since debuting at 17 in 2017.
• This season he has 10 goals and five assists in 46 appearances across all competitions, including seven goals and three assists from 21 Premier League starts.
• England coach Thomas Tuchel said World Cup inclusion this summer is “not a guarantee” after Foden struggled to make an impact in March friendlies.