Aston Villa have been linked with a return move for Jack Grealish as the wheels are greased on his departure from Manchester City
Jack Grealish needs to leave Manchester City to play regularly and star at the World Cup.
Jack Grealish has been told he needs to leave Manchester City to play regularly and star at the World Cup.
(Image: Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Dean Smith has no doubt Jack Grealish will star at the World Cup next summer as long as he gets his transfer decision right this time around.
The former Aston Villa boss, who oversaw Grealish’s transformation to £100 million Manchester City signing, remains one of the playmaker’s closest confidants. As speculation grows around Grealish’s future, with just seven Premier League starts last season and left out of the Club World Cup squad, Smith remains certain that the 29-year-old can deliver on the big stage.
“We keep in touch regularly,” Smith said. “He’s a wonderful person but he’s an unbelievable player too. What I want to see is him playing football again because if he does, he’ll be a star for England at the World Cup.”
Grealish’s next move is crucial and Villa, Tottenham, Everton, Bayern Munich and Napoli have all been linked. There is a reported £50 million price tag or the possibility of a loan deal to put him in Thomas Tuchel's sightlines ahead of the World Cup. He has two years left on a lucrative contract.
“Thomas wants him playing and if he is, I’m sure he’ll get back in the England team,” said Smith in an interview with the Daily Mail. “I just told him to keep calm, keep fit and be ready for whatever challenge is out there. Thomas said he’s one player that can take the ball in any situation.”
That technical quality, coupled with a willingness to demand the ball on the biggest occasions, remains central to Grealish’s appeal. Smith recalls one game in particular as proof of his old captain’s nerve and class.
“The bigger, the better for Jack and that’s what England need – players that can handle the football,” he said. “Just look at when Man City won the Champions League and played Real Madrid away and he was the one demanding the ball.”
Financial obstacles could yet complicate any move. Grealish’s price tag and wages are sizeable, and Smith acknowledged the influence of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) in shaping his next destination.
“He needs to go to a club but it’s also who can afford him with PSR,” he said.
Grealish only made seven league starts last season.
Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, in the US with the Man City camp, said: "Everybody loves Jack, the way he plays, the way he deals with fans, all the work he does off the pitch - but obviously there is some kind of issue that means he hasn't been selected to be in the City squad to come to the Club World Cup and he's been told he can find a new club.
"But having sat in news conferences when Pep Guardiola has been asked about Jack Grealish, in public, he seems to like Jack Grealish almost as much as everyone else does. A couple of days ago in Orlando he said, 'Look, we need to make sure we find a solution that is good for Jack, good for his family, good for his kids...'
"He said that Jack was a great player and someone who was instrumental in City winning the treble a couple of years ago. But having watched City here against Juventus, their players are playing so well and they've got players out wide like Doku and Savinho, and they've also made a lot of signings, so you scratch your head and ask if Grealish has a future at the club.
"I think Jack Grealish will almost certainly leave Manchester City this month but, from what Pep Guardiola has said, he will be leaving with Guardiola's best wishes."
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