As one of the Premier League’s top performers who plays for a club outside of the so-called ‘big six’, Jack Grealish has been widely touted to leave Aston Villa, with plentiful rumours about a possible big-money move to Manchester United.
The 25-year-old has created more chances (55) than any other Premier League player this season and boasts the third-most completed dribbles (44) of anyone in the top flight (WhoScored), so he would improve most teams’ attacking riches.
Arsenal were interested in Grealish last summer but didn’t follow up on their enquiry. Harry Redknapp believes they should try their hand again at signing him, telling Piers Morgan on his podcast, The Harry Redknapp Show: “I think (Arsenal) have to spend. They need to bring a bit of quality. Arsenal is a massive football club – Take a Grealish. He needs to play at the bigger club.”
Villa have no intention of letting Grealish leave in January and won’t accept any bid lower than £100m, so Arsenal aren’t likely to land his signature. Dean Smith won’t let a key player leave midway through the season and Grealish has four years remaining on his current contract, so Redknapp’s advice for the Gunners is unlikely to be heeded.
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Grealish has come into his own in the last two seasons, contributing to 18 goals from 43 games in 2019/20 and being involved in 15 goals from 16 games this term (Transfermarkt), so letting him go would weaken Aston Villa significantly.
Smith isn’t stupid. Building the squad around Grealish is Villa’s best chance of success, rather than selling one of the best playmakers in Europe right now, so Arsenal and Manchester United should just give up on him and look elsewhere.
