TA: Haaland’s agent brokered Foden’s pay rise & extension as City show support.

On May 6th, The Athletic published a column detailing Foden's contract renewal situation with Manchester City.

Column article

The new contract signed between Phil Foden and Manchester City demonstrates the club's full support for this homegrown star, a level of support that perhaps no other player in the team can match.

Few players can still get a long-term renewal and even a pay rise after two years of obvious decline, and this renewal negotiation was handled by Rafaela Pimenta, the agent of his Manchester City teammate Haaland.

In fact, Pimenta's involvement may be the key to Foden's return to his peak. Sources within Manchester City revealed that Foden has lacked top-level professional guidance in the past few years, and it is widely believed that his cooperation with Pimenta will continue in the future.

If it is said that Foden has a special status at Manchester City, it is completely understandable. Even before he was 10 years old, people had already recognized his ability to join the first team, but the height he later reached was probably beyond what everyone had expected at the time.

At the age of 25, he already has 6 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups, 1 Champions League trophy, 5 League Cups (he even named one of his dogs "Carabao"), and many other championship honors.

Although Foden's status in the team has gradually increased under Guardiola, it was not until the end of the 2023-24 season that he finally ushered in the outbreak that the outside world had been expecting for many years.

At that time, De Bruyne's form declined due to injury and he had entered the later stages of his 30s, and Foden stepped forward, contributing winning performances for the team many times. His goals were often deadly finishes that accurately hit the dead corner, including a key goal in the Manchester derby and a decisive goal in the last round of the season. With this performance, he was elected as the Premier League Player of the Season, as if completing the handover ceremony of the "scepter" of the core of the Manchester City team.

However, in the past two years, he has rarely been able to replicate the highlights of the past.

At this time last year, looking back on that disappointing season, Foden chose to withdraw from the England team. He publicly talked about his off-field difficulties and mental health problems, and at the same time, he was plagued by repeated injuries.

It wasn't until the end of 2025 that Foden seemed to gradually emerge from the haze. In the November match against Dortmund, he scored twice, and then scored 6 goals in 4 Premier League games, including two goals against Leeds United (one of which was a wonderful kill), and two goals against Fulham.

In mid-December, he seemed to be back on track, but only a month later, his form declined again. In the Manchester derby on January 17, he was substituted at halftime. Throughout the game, he seemed unusually restrained and lacked confidence, and this state continued thereafter.

Last weekend, he started in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, but he was unable to perform well against this Championship team. About 60 minutes into the game, he was replaced, and his club teammate and England teammate Stones stepped forward to comfort him, trying to boost the morale of his friend.

Regarding Foden's performance in the recent international match day, England team coach Thomas Tuchel's evaluation can be described as to the point. During the international match day in March, Foden was the only player in the England team to start in both friendly matches against Uruguay and Japan.

"He came to the training camp with the brightest smile, and his performance in training was also very good," Tuchel said, "I thought he would give us a surprise and show the same energetic and passionate performance in the game, but obviously, he failed to exert all his influence."

It is reported that it is not yet certain whether Foden will appear in the England team roster for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which will be announced later this month.

After the semi-final against Southampton, Foden uploaded a video on social media of himself practicing on the artificial turf training ground at home, seemingly proving to the outside world that he is going all out to find his form. At that time, Guardiola gave the Manchester City players a 3-day vacation, and most of the players chose to fly for a short vacation to reserve energy for the final sprint stage of the season, but Foden chose to stay at home and insist on training.

In the past two years, Manchester City has provided Foden with as much support as possible, and this new contract is the best proof that the club firmly believes that he can return to his peak. In recent months, whenever asked about Foden's state, Guardiola has simply said that he needs time and patience.

Foden's fluctuating form, coupled with the fact that his original contract will expire next summer, means that Manchester City must make this major decision with incomplete information. After all, they could have waited another season to more fully assess Foden's form. But doing so would face the risk of Foden leaving on a free transfer, although he has never really considered leaving Manchester City.

Even if waiting another season is risky, the new contract itself is considered a risk because of its length.

If Foden's slump continues, how should Manchester City respond? It should be noted that Manchester City has always offered new contracts to players who perform well, sometimes even after the player's first season. But if they think a player is past his peak, they will also become unusually pragmatic - De Bruyne's situation, and the previous two contract renewal negotiations with Gundogan, are the best examples.

This does seem like a sentimental decision, but at a time when global football is being accused of "losing its soul" and gradually alienating fans, it is undoubtedly commendable that Manchester City can take care of a player who has a deep emotional connection with the club, the region, and the fans.

Foden's cooperation with Pimenta may help him get back on track. The two first met in November last year, when Foden was looking for a new agent, and then formally entrusted Pimenta to handle his contract renewal negotiations with Manchester City.

Foden has changed several agents during his time in the Manchester City first team, and club insiders believe that this frequent change, coupled with his sometimes turbulent off-field life, may not be beneficial to his career.

When he first joined the first team, his agents were Richard Green and Owen Brown, both of whom had extensive experience in football, especially in the Liverpool area, where they were responsible for managing the affairs of well-known clients such as former Red Army coach Benitez.

Foden had a particularly close relationship with Green, who was a lawyer, but Green unfortunately passed away in 2021. Shortly after, Foden's father began to take over his agency affairs, and Terry John also joined in to provide assistance. John has a deep relationship with the Foden family. He used to work in the Manchester City youth training camp, and he was also the key person who facilitated Foden's joining Manchester City.

In 2022, John facilitated Foden's contract renewal with Manchester City, but before that, he had never had the experience of being a player agent. At the end of last year, when that 2027 contract was still being fulfilled, Foden felt that perhaps he needed a better option.

This also led to his meeting with Pimenta. Pimenta enjoys a very high reputation within Manchester City for handling Haaland's agency affairs, especially in January 2025, when she successfully facilitated Haaland's signing of a nine-and-a-half-year long-term contract with Manchester City. Her performance in the negotiations was impressive.

Sources (who chose to remain anonymous to protect the relationship between the two parties) revealed that although Foden's form is still fluctuating, he has not only received a pay rise, but also received a 3-year contract, with an option to renew for another year.

This is an amazing trust that Manchester City has shown in a player who has the potential to become the best in the world, but Foden is often overwhelmed by this huge potential. Perhaps Manchester City would not treat every player so generously, but in their eyes, Foden is by no means an ordinary player.