In a move that has stunned the football world, the Norwegian striker Erling has joined the Championship club on a two-month loan deal for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.

Haaland, widely regarded as one of the best strikers on the planet, agreed the short-term switch to the Kassam Stadium to “experience proper English football in a three-sided ground”.

The number nine added: “I’ve played in some big games, but nothing prepares you for a cold Tuesday night in Oxford.

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Erling Haaland won the Carabao Cup with Manchester City last month. (Image: Adam Davy / PA)

“I’ve heard the wind howls in from the open end, and I want to test myself in those conditions, as this is the challenge every top striker dreams of.

“I can’t wait to link up with the lads, try a burger from the kiosk and see if I can score from the car park.”

It is expected that Oxford’s current number nine, Mark Harris, will return to his country of birth to make way for Haaland after agreeing a deal with actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to sign for Wrexham, according to insider Paula Hollywood.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed he personally pushed the move through after being “blown away” by Haaland’s enthusiasm for the U’s.

“We have achieved many things at City,” the Catalan coach said.

“Premier Leagues, Champions League, all of this, but there is one thing I cannot give Erling: a view of Frankie & Benny’s mid-match.

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The Kassam Stadium. (Image: Oxford Mail)

“When he came to me and said, ‘Mister, I need Oxford,’ I understood immediately.

“For his development, he must learn what it is like when the ball disappears into the open end and never comes back. Only then can he become complete.”

Guardiola insisted there was no risk to City’s ongoing title challenge, and when asked if he was happy with the move, he simply said: “More than you believe.”

News of the signing sparked a wild reaction among Oxford United supporters, many of whom were still checking the date on their calendars.

Season-ticket holder Tim E. Waster said: “When I saw the club post about Haaland, I nearly dropped my cuppa.

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. (Image: Martin Rickett / PA)

“We’ve been crying out for a goal-scorer, and now we’ve gone and got one who usually scores 50 a season. I just hope he can make the step up from the Champions League to the Championship.”

Fellow fan Hugh Jestor said: “I always thought we needed someone to get on the end of our corners, but I didn’t realise the answer was a 6ft 4in Norwegian robot.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him try to find the ball in the Kassam car park after it’s been hoofed clear.”

Haaland is expected to train with his new teammates later today, once he has successfully navigated the congestion charge zones and worked out which of the three stands his family should sit in.

The BBC has reported that the U’s are uncomfortable with a potential conflict of interest involving Michael O’Neill.

The Blackburn Rovers boss is also manager of Northern Ireland and has four Oxford players in his squad to face Wales on Tuesday.

The friendly between the two ‘home nations’ was arranged after Northern Ireland lost 2-0 to Italy, while Wales lost on penalties to Bosnia Herzegovina, last week.

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The results ended both sides hopes of playing in this summer’s American World Cup.

The BBC said the English Football League (EFL) confirmed it had been contacted by “one or more clubs” about the situation in which a manager of a Championship club fighting relegation is in charge of several relegation rivals’ players through his international team.

Reportedly that club was Oxford, with their match at home to Hull happening three days after the international game (Friday April 3).

The U’s then have another game three days later away to Portsmouth on Monday April 6.

Northern Ireland’s Jamie Donley heads to the player’s tunnel in their Italy defeat (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)

Not only does Mr O’Neill have Jamie Donley, Ciaron Brown, Brodie Spencer and Jamie McDonnell of Oxford in his Northern Ireland squad but players from Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion as well.

His club side Blackburn are 19th in the Championship table on 43 points only four points above Oxford in 23rd.

Reportedly the EFL said that it was not a matter for them to be dealing with but by FIFA and the national association involved.

Oxford United’s Will Lankshear wrestles Southampton’s Cameron Archer for the ball (Image: Oxford United)

They added that they expect all decisions to be taken in a way that does not bring the game into disrepute.

Mr O’Neill was questioned on the matter at a press conference yesterday evening (Monday, March 30).

“We’re not in charge of the schedule of the games for either the international window or the EFL. I think 80 per cent of my squad play in the EFL,” he insisted.

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“We’re mindful of the situation for the clubs, of course, but when the clubs signed these players, they knew they were international players and, we’re not going to be reckless with the players or anything like that there, but, we have to obviously look after ourselves as a group of players.

“The most important thing is that the players just go out and play the game. They’ll be fine. The lads who play in the EFL, they play a lot of football and they’re used to playing regular football.

“So they’ve got resilience and I’m sure they’ll get through the game fine.”

It was last month that Oxford United signed a Section 106 agreement with Cherwell District Council which would put money into the community funded by the football club.

Once the building of the stadium is underway, the costs will not count towards the EFL’s financial parameters set by PSR.

The U’s recently published their accounts, recording a net loss of £17.5 million for the 2024/25 season.

“Once the stadium is formally approved and effectively we’ve got shovels in the ground then all of the costs are excluded from PSR, but at present we are still in the sort of the development phase,” Maguire told BBC Radio Oxford.

Oxford United have published new images of what the club’s proposed stadium at The Triangle could (Image: Oxford United)

“I appreciate there’s been significant costs from a legal point of view in trying to locate an appropriate place for the stadium, discussions with surveyors and architects and all of those costs.

“Because they are now effectively pre-approval or pre the start of the project, strictly they have to be included within the PSR calculations, which is sheer lunacy. I mean whoever’s written the rules clearly doesn’t understand very much about football.

“There is no sporting advantage to Oxford from having such costs, especially given the specific circumstances that the club is undertaking at present, where it has nowhere to play as an alternative and it’s going to have to move as a result of the lease and so on. It does in my view suggest that the EFL’s rules are in need of review.”

🚨 #OxfordUnited‘s underlying losses compared to the rest of the Championship 👀

A bit of a dive into the finances that were published last week. 📊#oufc 🟡https://t.co/EPsjcnbUnB

— malachi (@MalachiObrey) March 26, 2026

U’s CEO Tim Williams revealed at the OxVox fans forum that three institutions are excited about the stadium project with positive responses coming from potential investors.

Maguire went on to detail the challenges that the club faces in persuading lenders to come on board.

Plans for Oxford United stadium (Image: Oxford United)

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“It’s challenging for a football club to persuade lenders because if you were popping along to your local bank or building society would they lend to Oxford United? No they wouldn’t. The reputational damage if things go wrong is far too high.

“That tends to mean that you’re going to sort of specialist lenders, they will effectively give the club some form of mortgage, they will have no moral or ethical concerns should things start to go wrong.

“They’ve got a nice piece of real estate as far as they’re concerned in the city so they would be able to lend money but my concern would be at what rates of interest because it is a high risk from their point of view.”