Jack Grealish: Is he the player Manchester City really require at the moment?
Jack Grealish is currently on the transfer radar of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. The Premier League champions have tabled an offer of £100m for Grealish, as per ESPN.
Grealish plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for English Premier League club Aston Villa and captains the side. He is considered one of the best attacking players in the world.
In the 2020-21 season, Grealish scored 7 goals and provided 12 assists in his 27 appearances and in the 2019-20 season, he scored 10 goals and provided 8 assists in his 41 appearances.
He missed a few matches in the 2020-21 season due to injuries but his presence in the Aston Villa team has been vital with them continuously improving each season under their manager Dean Smith and him.
Grealish had a wonderful Euro 2020 campaign where the Three Lions were runners up. He can fill numerous attacking roles and the Premier League champions are not the only side who are interested in signing him.
The current Manchester City side has multiple quality players in the positions where Grealish plays and it will be interesting to see where Pep plays him if they do sign him.
Jack Grealish: One amongst many in City's plethora of attacking midfielders?
Jack Grealish often played as a winger or attacking midfielder for Aston Villa where he was given a freer role, thanks to his abilities and skills, by Dean Smith. But in the current City squad, the position has already been cemented by Phil Foden and De Bruyne.
In the 2020-21 season, Grealish provided 10 assists from 26 Premier League appearances, twice his contribution from the 2019-20 season from 10 fewer games. However, his assists tally is behind De Bruyne, who is widely considered one of the best players in the world.
So with the number 10 position already cemented by De Bruyne, who is seen as critical to Pep's team, Grealish can be used in other positions. Foden and Sterling played well as inverted wingers last season, with Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez adding depth to that position.
Pep will have a lot to think about if he does sign Grealish, who is too good to simply be a squad player. This is also due to the price tag, with City rumored to have put in a 100m pound bid for the midfielder.
It all depends on what Pep has plans for Foden, Sterling and a few of his squad players if he does sign Jack. Pep may even change his playing position, where there are chances of him playing as number 8 or even as a false striker.
Guardiola experimented with a false nine formation last season. With Aguero already having left for Barcelona on a free transfer, he might make it City's primary focus this season onwards.
Pep is a huge admirer of Jack Grealish and if City do sign him, Jack can play regular Champions League football with a likely guarantee of winning trophies. The only problem is where he will fit into the current City squad filled with quality players.
Both Pep (as to where to play him) and Grealish (whether he will play regular first team football) will have a lot to think about.