Watch: Khaldoon Al Mubarak discusses Ilkay Gundogan future, Erling Haaland promise & Man City’s 115 charges

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Manchester City’s chairman, has sat down for a feature-length interview with the club on a range of topics.

There were no shortage of talking points following a historic season for Pep Guardiola’s side after they won a maiden Champions League crown, and then claimed the treble for just the second time in the history of English football.

Khaldoon discussed all of this in his extended interview, along with the club’s legacy, Guardiola’s impact, Erling Haaland’s scoring heroics, Ilkay Gundogan’s future and the 115 Premier League charges. We’ve rounded up the best answers below, while the full interview video is available above.

On winning the treble:

“I was actually chatting with Pep late this morning. Relief. Relief. It reminds me, winning this, it reminds me back to 2011/12, that QPR game, the first Premier League. There was relief in that game and then happiness. With the Champions League, we’ve tried so hard for so many years, you know that. And then to finally, finally do it last night, the first couple hours until now, it’s relief, it’s happiness, but it’s really more relief. We finally have that trophy right here.”

On Champions League growth and the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium:

“Well, we’re arguably one of the most consistent teams in the Champions League for the last 10 years, consistently in the group stages, consistently going forward. And if you look at just the last five years: quarter-finals, quarter-finals, final, semi-finals, finals and winning. So, there’s a consistency in our performances in the Champions League. I think as a team, we are very mature as an organisation and very mature as a club overall. I think our fans, one of the great things, particularly this season, I found, is how the fans have embraced the Champions League. The atmosphere at the Etihad this year really, and I think it’s something for all of us to take for the future, it’s become truly a fortress. What the fans give to the team spills over in the performances. And if you look at, Real Madrid semi-finals, 4-0, Bayern Munich quarter-finals, 3-0, Leipzig, round of 16, 7-0. And I hope and I wish that we can just take this now to another level. The Etihad is becoming what we always hoped for, which is truly the 12th man we always needed. And the players appreciate it, the coaches appreciate it, we appreciate it and the management team, thank you. Really, thank you to the fans for that. And exciting times, exciting times.”

On building a legacy:

“We’re building a legacy for this club, a new modern legacy. And this modern legacy is in the modern Premier League and it’s the last 10 years, it’s the last 15 years. And I think in that, what Manchester City continues to achieve, today the treble has only been achieved once and it’s only been achieved once because this is really the most difficult thing to possibly achieve in the world of football. To win the most difficult league in the world, the Premier League, and to win the most difficult competition in the world of sports in my view, the Champions League at the same time, combined with another cup competition, a great historic cup competition, the FA Cup, at the same time. It is incredible, which is why it’s only been done once 24 years ago. And now this team has achieved that and this team has achieved that against incredible competition in the Premier League from 19 teams that are, as a group, the most competitive league in the world. And then to go in the Champions League and to do so in a run, beating the defending champions, Real Madrid, beating, in the final an incredible team, Inter Milan, who had an incredible run to get to the final and then beating also Bayern Munich. It’s not like we had an easy run to the Champions League final. We did it the hard way and we did it with the highest level of football that I think I’ve ever seen. So all in all, that treble, now you combine it with what you said, which was three in a row and by the way, five in six. Consistency, consistency. And it’s, the Premier League is always, I think, the foundation to any success. You have to win the Premier League.”

On Guardiola spending seven years in Manchester:

“Well, it shows you the environment that we have, which is a special environment and the environment every one of us plays a part in this. It’s not just the management team, it’s not just the players, it’s not just the coaching staff. It’s the city, it’s the fans. It’s the people, that entire ecosystem. It’s a lifestyle decision. It’s a personal decision. It’s a human decision. It’s a coaching decision for sure from him, from a professional standpoint. But it’s all of that. And I think what we all provide for Pep is all of that. And that’s what’s kept him this long.”

On Erling Haaland’s impact and the conversation they had after signing:

“What an addition he has been. Going back to that conversation. So this was, I think, my first conversation post him signing the contract. But what amazed me about Erling is the confidence. He’s got something special, confidence with respect. And to be having that conversation post signing your contract with your chairman and saying at the end of that conversation, ‘Mr chairman, I’m going to win the Champions League for you. I’m here to win the Champions League for Manchester City and we’re going to win it’ a year ago is really a testament to the greatness of this player. And to show you where Erling is going, this is the beginning. And the scary part, this is just the beginning for him.”

On Ilkay Gundogan:

“Listen, Ilkay has been tremendous, absolutely tremendous. He is, as our captain, to be the captain of this club in this historic treble - lifting the Premier League first, then the FA Cup and then last night, the Champions League, he will go down in the folklore of Manchester City forever. He has been the first signing of Pep to Manchester City, he started off, I remember him when he came in always – I know he’s a captain, he is a captain, and he’s a representation of this club in terms of hard work, commitment always, humbleness, winning mentality. And when you need him, when you need him in the big games, he’s always there. And I hope there are more chapters to that legacy. Obviously, Ilkay has to make big life decisions for him. But in the end, it’s fully understandable, we always have to respect our players, their wishes.”

On the Premier League charges:

“So obviously I can’t talk about them unfortunately for legal reasons. And what I would typically always do is comment after, so I think we’re going to go through, we’re going through the legal process. These are proceedings that take whatever time they take and when we’re done, we’ll have a conversation. I’ll give you my very blunt views, I promise you that. I have very strong views on that, but I am going to be unfortunately very restrained today.”

On how the club has been characterised after the charges:

“Yes of course, I mean it’s very frustrating because it takes so much from the great work that’s happening at this club and it’s happening not just on the football pitch. The football pitch – we talked about that, what these players have achieved this year, the treble, is incredible. I hope people focus and judge them for their football and what they’re achieving on the pitch and what they’re achieving in every competition they’re in. That’s the reality. The club as a whole is well run, is very well run. Today, the value of this group is over six billion dollars. We’ve created so much value – we’ve brought in world-class investors. Why? Because we have a commercial machine here that is one of the best in the world. Our executives are being targeted by the best teams in the world – always. By the way – it’s a credit to us. I respect that. People appreciate that we are producing – not just the best talent on the pitch, not just the best talent in the academy, not just the best talent in the group, but we’re producing some of the best executives in the world, some of the best scouts in the world, some of the best sporting staff in the world. And that’s a testament to the great work that this group is doing. We’re the number-one football brand in the world. These are the facts; these are the facts. The club generates a tremendous revenue. You look at our sales in terms of what we produce, in terms of from our academy, from our first team. Look at last year, I mean look at our net spend figures. We can go on for half an hour right now with me just giving you data in terms of net spend over the last season, net spend over the last three years, over the last five years, over the last 10 years – look at every single one of them and just look at these as the facts and compare us to our competition and then people will throw at us ‘the biggest spenders’, ‘you have the biggest squad’. I wish people can just pause and ask the question and get the facts and then comment.”