Jack Grealish England 2024
Jack Grealish England 2024
Back in the summer of 2021, Grealish became the most expensive player in British football and the first Premier League star to move for a nine-figure transfer fee when leaving boyhood club Aston Villa and heading to the Etihad Stadium for £100 million ($135m).
His second season with the Citizens delivered Treble glory, as he became a Champions League winner, but Pep Guardiola’s methods were considered to be reining in his creative expression. By the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Grealish had registered just 17 goals through 157 appearances.
He had started to slip down the pecking order under demanding Catalan coach Guardiola, leading to a loan spell at Everton being sanctioned. A bright start to life on Merseyside delivered a Premier League Player of the Month award, but an unfortunate foot injury brought his season to a premature conclusion in January - with a stress fracture requiring surgery.
World Cup dreams died at that point for a man with 39 senior caps to his name, while the Toffees opted against taking up a £50m ($67m) purchase option - hoping that asking price could be reduced during summer talks with City. No deal has been done as yet.
Jack Grealish Everton 2025-26
Jack Grealish Everton 2025-26
Nobody made England’s left wing berth their own during a run to the semi-finals of FIFA’s flagship event in North America, meaning that those on the fringes of Thomas Tuchel’s plans remain in the selection conversation.
Quizzed on whether Grealish still forms part of that pack, Halesowen-born Premier League title winner Sharpe - speaking in association with NetBet - told GOAL: “They seem to have a bit of an abundance of left-sided players.
“Like you say, you've got Grealish, you've got Cole Palmer that can play there, although I'm not sure either of them are really that out-and-out, winger-type, quick-to-go-by people. I think [Anthony] Gordon and [Marcus] Rashford between them had decent World Cups.
“There's two strong candidates for the left-sided players and it just depends on what sort of football and what team they're playing against. I was wishing they'd brought Rashford on against Argentina and just put the ball near the corner flag for five or 10 minutes and chased after it and turned Argentina around. That didn't seem to happen.
“A Grealish or a Palmer would have probably kept the ball, but I'm not sure they've got that pace to go and threaten in behind when you need to do so. But yeah, once Jack Grealish gets himself fit and Cole Palmer keeps himself fit and gets over his little injuries that he had last year, they're phenomenal players and they're game-changing players.”
What Grealish needs to happen in the 2026-27 campaign
Quizzed on what Grealish needs from the 2026-27 campaign after enduring a tough time at City and frustrating fitness issues with Everton, Sharpe added: “He just needs a year of staying fit and not getting injured. Every player needs that.
“It's soul-destroying when you get injured and you know you've got a long rehab and you're not going to see many of the lads. You're going to miss out on everything that goes on with the lads and the season. You just want to play.
“It's so hard to be injured for anybody, mentally, physically, and then to come back from it. The rehab, getting fit again, getting back into the team again, your timing and getting your game back for match days.
“It's a horrible process, but he just needs 10, 12, 15 games now to get back up to speed and get his confidence fully flowing. I'm sure we'll see another great year from Jack Grealish.”
Sharpe went on to say of Grealish’s undoubted talent: “He's unbelievable. He's got so much ability. I remember back to the England game, I think it was the Germans we played against. He just bossed the whole game. They couldn't get the ball off him. That's the kind of player he is.
“He's so comfortable on the ball. He can run with it. He can slot a pass in. He can score a goal. He's got so much ability. He's great to watch. He plays with a smile on his face. He's great with the fans. I think he's a credit to the game and to himself.”
Jack Grealish Manchester City 2021-22
Jack Grealish Manchester City 2021-22
Grealish has only 12 months left to run on his contract at City, so those at the Etihad need to make a decision on whether they want to cash in on a man that will turn 31 in mid-September, or allow him to head towards free agency.
New manager Enzo Maresca has wiped the slate clean in Manchester, after succeeding Guardiola, but there is still plenty of competition for places on the flanks from the likes of Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Savinho and newly-acquired 17-year-old wonderkid Jeremy Monga.