Jack Grealish has been one of the better players in the Premier League this season. With Aston Villa in a relegation scrap, there is every chance the Englishman leaves the club in the summer. If Villa do go down, Grealish could be moving onto a bigger club. That is one reason why links with Manchester City make sense, even if the latest Bundesliga tips are suggesting that RB Leipzig is a potential destination.
That isn’t a reason why City moving for him will make sense. While he is one player who might be available in the summer, a lot of what City want will come to the fore in a player like Grealish. While he might take time to settle in, Grealish has the quality to play for Man City.
He has a tally of seven goals and five assists to his name, while playing only 23 Premier League games. While a majority of his appearances have come from the left-wing of Villa’s 4-3-3 shape, Grealish is also a fine attacking midfielder in the midfield three.
Playing in both of those positions, Grealish has been completing 2.4 dribbles per game. He likes to get on the ball and drive forward. He has a final pass to his play, meaning he can play 2.7 key passes per game. Coming up with 2.2 shots per game has been key to why his output has increased.
Grealish is street smart. Which is why he has been the most fouled player in the Premier League this season. He’s picked up 4.4 fouls per game this season. But he himself makes only 0.9 fouls per game- a sign of a mature footballer.
Over the years, Grealish has become a responsible individual. He’s led Villa to the Premier League- months after they were in near financial ruin. There was interest from Tottenham in the summer of 2018, but Grealish didn’t move and got Villa back to the Premier League.
That is why Grealish is seen as a leader. It is why the move to any top club won’t be odd at all. He’s a player with a strong personality and his versatility makes him a good signing for City. Guardiola himself has already been full of praise for the 24-year-old.
He recently said: “He’s an exceptional player, I didn’t know him before I came here, he was playing in the Championship. Honestly, an exceptional player,”
Leroy Sane has continuously been linked with a move to Bayern Munich and David Silva is set to leave at the end of the season. Grealish is a player who can fill both positions in and work his socks off- like he does for Villa. He isn’t a left-footer like Sane is, but Grealish adds more technical ability to the left-wing.
In Guardiola’s 4-3-3 shape, the two central midfielders and almost number tens. They have a lot of possession and have to drive forward. They’re the creative fulcrums of the side- something Grealish would thrive on. He’s come up with the third-highest amount of key passes per game this season- behind Kevin de Bruyne and Emiliano Buendia only.
Grealish loves to get on the ball and do things and midfielder have that freedom at City, as evident from De Bruyne’s tally of seven goals and 15 assists. Grealish will have a lot of the ball and will have the license to create and score. It will bring the best out of the Englishman.
And at 24, he presents a player with potential. His value and ability is on the up and at a system like Pep’s he will only improve.
