It’s a Done Deal! Manchester City has completed the signing of Aston Villa and England midfielder Jack Grealish for a British record of 100m.
Grealish made his debut for Aston Villa back in 2014 where his team lost 4-0 against Manchester City. That season he made a total of 17 Premier League appearances as Villa managed to survive in the Premier League by just one spot. Since then, his numbers have been rapidly improving. In the 19-20 season, Grealish only missed two games of the season scoring eight goals including a crucial equalizer against West Ham United, which secured their place in the Premier League for the following season.
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It was the 20-21 season where Grealish actually found his form. In his 26 appearances, Grealish scored a total of six goals and bagged ten assists as Villa finished 11th on the Premier League table. An injury saw him on the sidelines for nearly three months and he made his return at the Euros for England where his role as a substitute turned out to work magic for Gareth Southgate and England at Euro 2020.
The 25-year old England midfielder joins the Premier League champions on a six-year contract and will take the number 10 shirt which was recently vacated by Man City legend, Sergio Aguero. The transfer fee of 100m surpasses the 89m fee that Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba back in 2016 and becomes a new British transfer record fee.
What has been said?
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On signing the contract with Man City, Grealish said, “I am incredibly happy to have joined Manchester City. City is the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world – it’s a dream come true to be part of this club. Over the past 10 seasons, they have won major trophies consistently. Pep coming here has taken them to the next level and the football this team plays is the most exciting in Europe. To play for Pep and learn from him is going to be special and it’s something any top footballer would want. The facilities are amazing, and I honestly can’t wait to get started, meet everyone and get playing”
What’s next for both the clubs involved in the deal?
Manchester City is still looking out for a striker who can replace Sergio Aguero and it’s none other than Harry Kane who has been City’s primary target this summer. City’s 100m bid for Kane was rejected by Spurs at the start of the transfer window as they expect more money for a player of Kane’s caliber with a few days remaining of the transfer window, let’s see what happens with this deal.
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As for Aston Villa, they have done some smart spending with the transfer amount of Jack Grealish as the club signed Leon Bailey (30m) and Danny Ings (41m) from Bayer Leverkusen and Southampton respectively.
[Image Credit: Jack Grealish]
Shashank Iyer