Apologies for not having posted for a good while. The truth is I’ve quite enjoyed not really having to think about football at all. The Buendia signing seems an excellent one and that nearly nudged me into writing something, but somehow I just didn’t get round to it. The Ashley Young signing didn’t do anything at all for me, although it seems pretty popular amongst the fans generally.
Even England haven’t really inspired me much. I enjoyed our first half performance on Tuesday, but struggle to see how it’s going to be any different from our usual losing to the first decent team we face. That said, I actually think we can beat Germany if we perform.
The news today is that Aston Villa have agreed a £100 million fee to sell Jack Grealish to Man City as soon as he has come away from the Euro tournament.
It’s just too big a story for me to pass up.
I’m usually very sceptical about any press speculation, but I have a very sneaky feeling there’s something in this story. There’s no vagueness or guesswork in the wording and it all seems very definite.
I think I’ve voiced my opinion before, quite recently that I could partly see Jack leaving this year with the thought being that after the money that Edens and Sawaris have spent, I couldn’t really blame them for wanting to recoup some of it.
If the sale does happen, I can see it all being spent and the reality is that £100 million will buy some very decent players. There’s debate to be had about whether getting those players in will make up for losing a player who has opened all football fan’s eyes, but I very much doubt the club have taken the decision lightly and there must have been a lot of thought put into it.
There’s also the fact that we don’t know how the player himself feels. I don’t think for one minute Jack would hand in a transfer request, but you can’t blame him if he wants to win silverware at Man City. And given that it seems Pep still wants Harry Kane as well, you’d have to think that that silverware will be forthcoming this season.
We also have to consider that Jack was supposed to be leaving last season and we apparently managed to dissuade him from going by saying that we would allow him to leave when the time was right.
So of course I’ll be gutted if Jack does go, but I can mostly understand it.
My biggest complaint is that I personally think it’s too cheap and I’ve always had £130 million in my mind. I also think if it does happen, we’ve let it all happen too easily and I’d have liked to see the club put up a bit of a fight and at least on the face of it, reject the bid.
I also have a concern that the team look decidedly average without Jack. That said, I think Dean Smith knows a decent player and can overall improve the team.
Let’s see if it happens, eh?
I hope it doesn’t happen at all, to be honest.
NEWS have spent more than £100M already. In doing so they have built credibility with the Villa fanbase – which is massively important. A club where the fans and owners are at loggerheads invariably becomes a war zone and performances decline and good players will not come to the club.
The only – and easiest – way to kiss goodbye to all the credibility would be to sell Jack – even if the player wants to go. The price is irrelevant. This is the time to take a leaf out of the Levy playbook and say the player will not be released from his contract, he can stew in the reserves for 5 years on minimum pay or play for the team on his contract terms.
Gutted if he does, my love for the game came back when I watched him, he is something very special in the game , I just love how he opens up defences when the game has been 1 touch football and boring to fans.unless football changes, I like you will fell out with the game. For God’s sake its football not robotics calculate you play there he plays over there football. Anyway welcome back and look after yourself as work will always be here but you won’t if you chase £sd , unless you have owners like I’ve had in my working life.
Not sure where all the ‘certainty’ that Grealish is off comes from.
Sky are running two stories:-
Man City are planning a £100m bid for Grealish at the end of the Euros but a striker is still there prime target. So, as far as I can see they’ve not even lodged a bid yet.
The other story is that Villa are in talks with Grealish over a new contract (commenced at the end of last season) and are adamant they will not sell him.
I doubt whether £100m will sway NEWS at all (otherwise referred to elsewhere as COMPASS which I quite like).
I also think players like Buendia are coming to play alongside Jack not replace him.
Of course I could be completely wrong but I think he’ll stay for at least another season. If we’re not then in Europe well matters could change.
Keep the faith.
Sorry to be pedantic but it’s NSWE. It’s the owners initials.
I know DS – OLL rearranged them to NEWS and in another blog they were referred to as COMPASS (NSWE) which I thought was quite clever.
Ah well.
Sorry, just me being slow then😂
🙂
I don’t see anywhere that says we’ve agreed a fee – only that Man City are in negotiations and plan to bid $100m. He’ll probably go down as the best player I’ve ever seen where a Villa shirt in my lifetime and has demonstrated a love for Villa that rarely happens in the modern game. If he decides he needs to leave to play a higher level then he leaves with my best wishes and great memories.
The next part would be what fee would be appropriate? I think $125m+ when you consider Coutinho fee could reach $142m and players have risen in value since then – I think that realm is where we should be looking when you consider his influence on a team.
Then the question is, who do we replace him with? I think Rowe was touted to be a potential replacement or play with him. It’s clear to me that we must have known a bid was likely for Jack and then got our stalls out early for Rowe by putting in a bid to show we’re interested.
£100m is far too cheap if and when Jack goes, especially being just 25. Gutted doesn’t do it for me, really quite floored by this but then again the money in football is why I’ve lost a lot of my love for the game in recent years.
Don’t blame him for chasing success at all, but we are moving in the right direction so one year would be good, but with him signing that long extension means he knew the club would get a rook of cash so God bless Grealish for that should he leave.
Shame a player has to leave to guarantee a winners medal but he’s a good lad. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a clause stating he never plays against us for the rest of his career.
Don’t negotiate anything until he scores the winning goal at the Euros final!!!!!
I would be saddened if he was to leave, for obvious reasons. However. IF 100+ million is invested WISELY, would the Aston Villa first team be stronger or weaker without him? That is the question the owners must ask. Stronger not only with regards to footballing prowess on the pitch but also the mental health of the club and team. Would the squad recover mentally from losing the skipper and the psychological blow of losing a player whose influence on the pitch cannot be described in words? I don’t know the answer. I do know that when Delph and Benteke were flogged, we got relegated, despite having good players in the team. When Lerner cashed in on Milner, Young, Barry, and Downing, the club entered an era of misery and decline. Those are facts.
This has to be a strategic decision that does not derail the club’s plans for success, that are, thus far, on track.
One final note, which is not to express my view either way. Season 2020-21, Jack played half a season. When he was missing, we struggled badly. Season 2019-20, Jack played a full season BUT with a massive breather due to the pandemic. Would he have seen the season through without the break. Season 2018-19, Jack missed a big chunk of the season and only when he returned did we get back on track and ultimately get promoted. So it’s a catch 22. We don’t seem to be able to do without him, but he doesn’t seem capable physically of completing a full season. So is what he offers for 3/4 of a season (maximum) enough to bring success, or could 2-3 players of almost similar ability be brought in to give the team more balance? I honestly don’t know, but these are the questions Purslow’s and others’ handsome salaries demand they answer correctly.
My instinct is I hope he stays. I truly believe the club are close to something special. I hope Jack stays to be a part of it.
NSWE have aspirations to take villa to the top and are backing it up in the transfer market. Each season they are going after better targets. Its quite simple to get to the top you don’t sell your best players are try to sign your competitors best players eg ESR at Arsenal. If this comes off villa strengthen and arsenal become weaker. The self called big 6 have been doing this to us and others for years. NO MORE I HOPE. Villa now have the money and don’t have to sell. Remember – who were man city and chelsea before they had rich owners. Villa are now in that boat. The only way grealish leaves will be if he forces the issue. The owners will do everything they can to get villa into europe. If he goes i will be disappointed in him as this is our chance to break the monopoly and him leaving will set villa back big time.
I watched
The holy trinity aston villa on youtube last night about jack grealish very interesting and a positive view.
Fingers crossed
Steve, thanks for the heads up to The Holy Trinity JG special. Some very interesting and quite compelling arguments for Jack staying at Villa.
Here’s a link should anyone else like to watch – I hope!
https://youtu.be/_akdJiIYNKs
After the Czech game does Jack really think he would get a welcome from Sterling, Foden, Stones and Walker and would he really want it.
We are bidding for Abraham
(According to the b’ham mail – pinch of salt).
This will not happen if grealish is going – full stop.
In my opinion if he goes he will lose his chance to be a Villa legend. He would have had one super great season and off. One more season, then see how we are doing (especially with Villas ambition) would put him legend status. Vtid
So according to Jim White on Talk Sport it’s a done deal for Grealish to Man City. Other reports suggest that City will bid after the Euros have finished, so probably Tuesday in England’s case. Another report said that Villa have opened negotiations on an improved contract. We don’t know what will happen or what is on Jacks mind. He loves Villa but he wants to win silverware and compete in Europe.
My guess is he will want to go and our owners will reluctantly relent and hold out for as much money as possible. £100m is a lot of money and we could buy Ward Prowse and Abraham with it.
Of course it will be gutting to lose our best player but there would be no point in forcing him to stay if he wants to go. Who knows, we might have had the best of him and there is a possibility there is a long term issue with injury to his shins which will have to be managed by missing games.
Even without Grealish I still think we will improve overall. With him in our team we do become a bit one dimensional and it does grate with me that we are considered a one man team. The biggest problem that Smith will have is convincing great players to come in when selling our best. Usually though it’s money that talks and our owners don’t have issues with that. UTV!
COMPASS – sorry but I really like that name for our owners – reflects the fact they’re clear about the direction in which they are taking the club. Anyway our owners are the third richest behind Abramovitch and the Sheiks at ManC but, more importantly, they are in the same league financially.
They are both highly successful businessmen with a diverse range of investments including successful sports club’s.
Given that all the noises coming out of Villa Park is that they see JG as the key around which to build the team then ‘Grealish to ManC a done deal’ is about as far from accurate as you can get – and, let’s face it, we’re talking about Jim White and Talk Sport here!
It was less than a year ago when our owners tore up JG’s contract and I can well believe they’re about to do it again – so money will not be a driver in any move to another club (discounting the avarice of agents that is)
Whatever the outcome over Grealish I am confident that Compass will have plans in place either way to keep us on the right road to future success.
UTV
Compass? They could have been called One Direction!!!
Great Swiss/France game last night!
Come On England!!!!!
Caughtoffside are now reporting that the deal was actually done last year, for £88 million;
https://www.caughtoffside.com/2021/06/27/exclusive-jack-grealish-to-sign-for-man-city-in-88m-deal/
I don’t believe that for one minute.
But so many different sources saying it’s a done deal worries me.
I know the club aren’t obliged to come out and say it’s rubbish, but this time I wish they would. He’s in the middle of a tournament and this sort of talk can only undermine him.
Badger – have you watched ‘The Holy Trinity JG Special’.
He makes a brilliant case for what we’re seeing in the media. Basically it’s all about promoting clicks. Preece (B Mail) tweeted that JG was going nowhere then subsequently deleted the tweet as ‘unprofessional’. Why? Because it stopped all of us from clicking on JG transfer stories.
As he says – we all know it’s click bait but we can’t stop ourselves 🙂
As TGV says – when he signs for someone then I’ll believe it – otherwise it’s media speculation designed to get us clicking away.
And Villa have said they are not going to sell him and have started new contract talks even though he signed a new contract less than 12 months ago.
I firmly believe Buendia joined us, in part, because of JG.
If I’m wrong then shoot me but I don’t think I am
Seeing is believing!
When I see JG signing for someone else I will believe it.
Simply because the reporters of all different press outlets reuse the same news year in year out
Pig a has been leaving for the last 3 years
Sanche has been coming for the last 3 years
Messi has been coming for the last 2 years
JG was leaving last year
Now Liverpool are signing mbappe or what ever his name is.
It’s all bs
I have faith in our owners to move villa forwards whatever happens.
Pogba. Sancho. Bloody predictive text
According to Sky, Villa have had a second bid of £30m for Smith-Rowe knocked back by Arsenal.
Probably time to move on..
Why would we keep bidding if the player does not want to come. Probably Agent with two heads again
Just as an aside (as I can’t let it pass without comment), I see the ‘Great Predictor’ Lawro is 16th out of 16 pundits predicting the scores in EURO2020 games.
Need I say more?
🙂
When Grealish said last week he would like to play for Mourinho one day – he forgot to add for England.