There was no more fitting goalscorer for Aston Villa‘s final Premier League goal of the season than Jack Grealish.
Receiving the ball in his customary position tucked in from the left, the Villa skipper, faced by Andriy Yarmolenko to his side and Ryan Fredericks in front tiptoed his way into a half yard of space before lashing a left-foot shot through Lukasz Fabianski. If it is to be his final act in a Villa shirt, it wasn’t a bad way to bow out.
It has been a wonderful campaign for Grealish, the best of his career and as desperate as Villa will be to keep the beating heart of their side, there seems to be an internal realisation that he will probably be playing in colours other than claret and sky blue by the start of next season.
Dean Smith, himself a boyhood Villain like Grealish, was in no mood to discuss his star player’s future after the final whistle at the London Stadium confirmed Villa’s survival. “I expect him to get drunk with me tonight, that’s the only answer I can give you,” Smith told reporters afterwards, a bottle of Corona – the beer – in hand.
Smith was right to revel in Villa’s achievement. Prior to a surprise 1-0 win over Arsenal in the penultimate game of the campaign, Villa looked all but consigned to an immediate return to the Championship. That they stayed up is not only good for Smith’s job prospects but also the club’s coffers.
With their Premier League status assured, Villa can demand top whack for their prized asset and co-owner Nassef Sawiris reportedly values Grealish’s importance to the club at £80m. Immediately, that fee rules out all but a select few clubs able to spend such a fee in a Covid-19 impacted economy.
Manchester United do possess the financial might to sign Grealish and have tracked the 24-year-old for some time. There is a mutual admiration there too with Michael Owen claiming that Grealish has “his heart set on a move” to Old Trafford.
It isn’t hard to see why United would be interested in Grealish. Despite playing for the 17th best team in the Premier League, Grealish created almost three times as many chances (91) as any United player. Grealish even edges out Bruno Fernandes for that metric since the Portuguese playmaker’s arrival by 33 to 30.
Chances created in the Premier League since February 1
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 51
Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) – 33
Mark Noble (West Ham) – 32
Willian (Chelsea) – 30
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – 30
Fernandes’ impact has reduced the need for United to spend substantially on a creative player, however, the pair are very different in their styles. Whereas Fernandes is a classic lock-picker, Grealish is more of a ball carrier whose dribbles open up space for teammates in and around the box.
Grealish’s tendency to win fouls – he was fouled 167 times, 47 more than any other player – has been discussed ad infinitum and agree with it or not, it is a skill and a demonstration of his ball manipulation skills. For a point of comparison, Daniel James was United’s most-fouled player on 55. For all their speed on the break, United don’t really possess anyone with Grealish’s skillset.
Manchester City also have a need for left-sided attacking midfielder after selling Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich but clearly Grealish offers a far different tactical profile than the German speedster. Speculation linking City to Valencia’s Ferran Torres suggests he is their top target to replace Sane in an area that has now also lost David Silva.
Chelsea have already added two players accustomed to playing out wide in Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech with a support striker in Kai Havertz also in their sights and have no need for Grealish. Tottenham were close to signing him in 2018 but dropped out after Villa’s takeover and can now no longer afford it.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have a real creative chasm in their side: the Gunners created as many chances as Newcastle United (299) with only four teams creating fewer than them. Clearly Arsenal need a modern playmaker to build around with Mesut Ozil no longer fit for purpose and Grealish has shown that he has the temperament and quality to carry such a burden.
It would require some remarkable financial gymnastics for Arsenal to conclude a deal for Grealish, though, particularly if they are unable to secure Europa League qualification through winning the FA Cup. Whether they possess the means to match Villa’s price tag and whether Grealish sees them as a big enough upgrade, are separate issues.
Grealish has been a big fish in a small pond at Villa Park. With United finally moving in an upward trajectory once more, perhaps he sees Old Trafford as the perfect place to make a bigger splash.
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