The debate over Jack Grealish’s Man City future continues – but what does the future hold for the former Villa captain?
Everyone likes to talk about Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, it’s just what happens when you are the £100m man with the personality to match it.
Loved by many, booed by plenty, and with a nine-figure price tag, always likely to be under the microscope and with an uncertain future at Man City, the debate rages on.,
There are fresh questions to answer after his poor form for the Blues saw him left out of an England squad that has now, somehow, reached the semi-finals of the European Championship.
It’s a name that is never far from the lips of the Aston Villa faithful and there is a healthy debate and a clear divide in opinion when the subject arises as to whether or not he should wear the claret and blue shirt at B6 again.
With gossip that he could be leaving City failing to go away despite all sensible signs pointing towards him staying at the club, we take a look at what has been said by our writers as Grealish enters a crucial point in his career at the Etihad.
Manchester City writer for the Manchester Evening News, Simon Bajkowski
Jack Grealish is obviously staying at City this season, where he is effectively auditioning for his future. Pep Guardiola is prepared to continue with the forward because he knows how good he can be, but if there has still only been one good season at the end of his fourth year at the Etihad then City will not be as keen to keep him.
As well as the fact City aren’t looking to sell him, one of the reasons he was never going anywhere this summer was because of the value he still has. Arsenal are one of a few clubs that could afford him, but their interest appears to have been either misinterpreted or manufactured from an opinion piece on a website rather than backed by any actual news or facts.
Once again, the question comes up of how you would replace a City player if they were to leave, and once again it is difficult. Grealish brings such rare qualities to the team with his performances that Guardiola pushed for his £100m release clause to be broken in 2021 because he could not see the same talent elsewhere
Footballl writer, Richard Cusack
He just seems absolutely destined to return to Aston Villa at some stage. The supporters there have slowly forgiven Grealish for moving having watched him lift trophy after trophy and they are at terms with their talisman’s departure nearly three years on.
City have to buy players for the here and now which is why they decided to splash out a nine-figure sum on Grealish who, with his profile at the time rising in the Premier League, had nearly racked up 200 League appearances by the time he moved to Pep Guardiola’s side.
He was already 25, soon to turn 26, when he signed for City and older and wiser now at 28, he will be desperate to turn the narrative away from a potential departure to becoming a key player for Guardiola again.
Where City have to be realistic is with financial fair play rules. Grealish’s value will start to diminish as he gets older and his contract is already halfway through, meaning that will also count against the club in potential negotiations as well.
If he moves, it’s a question of who can afford him? Arsenal have been mentioned, but there’s no sign of a Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain coming in for him which is why City are probably better off keeping a top player who is in tune with Guardiola’s demands and whose form dipped at a torrid time for him personally last season with the break in of his house.
I think he stays at City, maybe for another year or two, and then return to a resurgent Villa who are a completely different club to the one he left in 2021 before he approaches the end of his career.
Our Claret & Blue live show panel of Ashley Preece, James Rushton, Mat Kendrick and John Townley were asked about Grealish and if they’d take him back at Villa. Here’s what they said…
Ashley Preece , former Aston Villa writer for BirminghamLive
“Nah. Nah, he had his time and he chased the dream. He got his dream and to come back now … I think he had his time. He did everything he could for us, got us up and as a player he was unreal. I was the biggest champion of his. He has been wasted at Man City. Not for me, no.”
James Rushton, Football blogger, journalist
“I have moved on. I don’t want to go through it again if Real Madrid go in for him after he has a good season! You don’t get the benefit of having that £100m straight in your books. I think it takes a lot away from Villa’s project.”
Mat Kendrick, former Aston Villa writer for BirminghamLive
“I would have him back. I just think it’s like your childhood sweetheart has left you for a better looking fella, if you like. But now you’ve got yourself in shape and you’re a more attractive proposition. The little bit of love still flickers. I’m a Villa fan, but I am a realist. Dwight Yorke was the one for me when I thought we were on the brink of something and that he was the man to take us there.
“He moved to Man Utd, but he is vindicated because he won the treble. It took Jack two years to do that. I still think Jack is a quality player. Yes he isn’t playing with much freedom and if he came back to Villa I don’t think he would get anywhere near the freedom he previously had. I do think he has unfinished business, but he could go abroad before he goes to another Premier League.
“I’d forgive and forget. However, he has to be at the right level, which he would be now. I don’t think it would happen but I wouldn’t be against it happening.”
John Townley, BirminghamLive Aston Villa writer
“I don’t think Villa would have the money to facilitate it anyway. Grealish would have to take a huge cut in his wages and City would also have to sell him for a fraction of the price they bought him for in 2021. For those reasons I don’t think it would happen. If he was to ever come back to us after a few years from now, would he be in a position to contribute? He has had injury problems before.
“I’d love to see him back in a Villa shirt, of course I would. Will that happen? I don’t think so. We will have other things to do in the squad other than just looking towards buying Jack Grealish when there could well be younger alternatives Monchi would want anyway. It would be more of a sentimental signing at the point in which Grealish could feasibly come back and Unai and Monchi, I don’t think they would do it for those reasons at all.”
