There is a sense of clarity at Manchester City where Pep Guardiola is looking to replace the outcasts with young and technical talents who can bring a lot of tactical versatility to the side as the Spaniard looks to develop a new core at Etihad Stadium. And as the Manchester Blues prepare to refresh their roster, there have been rumours going around the papers suggesting Jack Grealish can call curtains to his time with the Cityzens given how he struggled to cement his place as an automatic starter last season.
While James Maddison, who came to Tottenham with a lot of expectations on his shoulders, has struggled to keep up with those, as we have seen how his influence on games dipped in the middle of last season, and complementing that with his injury concerns, there have been questions raised about his place in Postecoglou’s evolving system at Hotspur Way.
Tottenham Hotspur showing serious interest in Manchester City star Jack Grealish.
Tottenham Hotspur showing serious interest in Manchester City star Jack Grealish.
Now, over the past months, we have seen Grealish being linked with a move to Hotspur Way while Maddison also having established links with a move to Manchester City. This raises a notion, one of a possible swap deal involving Maddison for Grealish. But if it does come down to it, should Tottenham make the call?
How does Jack Grealish fit into the current system at Tottenham?
Grealish has been struggling for game time at City.
Jack Grealish is someone who is excellent when it comes to slowing down the game and dictating the tempo of the sequences. as we have seen over the years at Villa and City that he likes to draw defenders in and create overloads. If we are talking about his ability with the ball at his feet, I would think that Jack is possibly one of the best ball carriers on the continent. He has that ability to keep the ball when facing press and then win fouls, and this should give Ange Postecoglou another weapon in his arsenal, especially when facing aggressive pressing teams.
He also has great potential to operate as a wide interior. Where, let’s say in a 2-3-5, he would play as a wide interior or left-sided forward while linking up with Udogie and adding another combination route with Son or whoever plays in the left back role.
Maddison and his value at N17
James Maddison is set to be sidelined for the rest of the campaign with a potentially serious knee injury.
James Maddison is the primary creative outlet in the current roster.
Maddison at the moment is the North Londoners’ primary chance creator and set-piece specialist. And if the North Londoners lose him, it would mean that Tottenham are taking away a source of dead-ball goals and creative unpredictability.
If I am thinking of Grealish, while the Aston Villa academy graduate thrives in controlled phases, Maddison is more of a risk-taker profile given how he tries to put in line-breaking passes and early releases into the channels (making him a key cog in games that have a lot of transitional situations).
Then if I am talking defensive work rate, Grealish has more pressing intelligence. Maddison, but the latter covers more ground in a high-pressing system. So it is more like losing one quality and gaining another in a defensive sense.
Let’s talk money…
Currently at Manchester City, Jack Grealish reportedly bags in line with £300k per week, and that amount is too steep for Tottenham given how it will break the wage structure that Daniel Levy has worked hard to sustain; even the reported £170k-a-week figure of Maddison is a bit of a stretch for the North Londoners.
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Author Opinion
If I am talking purely in terms of a Maddison-for-Grealish swap, then while it is an attractive option, it will bring a boost in ball retention at N17 and could end up being more suitable for Postecoglou given his positional playing style, but for me, Grealish’s salary demands will end up upsetting the dressing room. And then Tottenham will also end up losing one of their most imaginative playmakers without a guaranteed upgrade in terms of productivity.
Moreover, given the diminishing output of Grealish, it just makes no logical sense for Tottenham to pursue this swap deal. And while Tottenham should respect what Grealish brings to the side, Levy should be unwilling to sacrifice Maddison. If Tottenham do like Grealish, he needs to be negotiated in a separate deal and not taken from one of the few creators at Hotspur Way.