Manchester City stunned the world when they decided to splash £100 million on Jack Grealish who was the talisman of Aston Villa. After the deal, Grealish became the first British player to cost a team as high as that in the history of football.
Hence, all eyes have been on the 26-year-old English winger but he has not been able to be as consistent as he used to be when he was at Aston Villa.
For instance, in his last season at Aston Villa, Grealish who can play as a winger and an attacking midfielder scored 7 goals and provided 15 assists in 27 games in all competitions.
But so far this season at Manchester City, the England international has managed to score just three goals and provided three assists in 20 games in all competitions.
Due to his inconsistency, his value in the transfer market has dropped to just €80 million even though he still has until June 30, 2027, before his contract with City expires.
Besides that, he has become a laughing stock especially among football pundits and fans who don’t believe he is worth the kind of money Manchester City paid for his services.
To make matters worse for the Manchester City supporters who are gradually growing impatient with him, coach Pep Guardiola had to sideline him and Phi Foden ahead of the club’s league game against Newcastle United last weekend because he and Foden attended a night club few days to the game.
Coach Pep Guardiola is however expected to forgive Jack Grealish and Foden before the Manchester City league game against Leicester City on Boxing Day. The game is expected to kick off at 16:00.
Ahead of the game, Grealish told Sky Sports that he did not expect that life would be difficult for him at Manchester City as it has been since he signed for the reigning Premier League champions on August 5, 2021.
The England international however added that he has heard that it takes some players a season to adapt at the club. Hence, he believes he would adapt within a year.
The football star said: “I’ve done okay so far. I’ve got so much more to give. It’s been so much more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I’m still learning and adapting. I’ve heard some people take a year to adapt here so maybe it will be the same for me. I want to score more and set up more goals next year.
“It’s crazy because the standards here are so high on and off the pitch. It’s unbelievable and it’s why they have been so successful over the years.
“Having a £100m price tag means when you are going through a dry patch people ask if you are worth the money – where are his goals, where are his assists? I understand that, but I have to see it as a privilege that the club wanted to spend that much money on me and I hope I can repay them with goals and trophies.
“Playing in the Champions League is completely different to the Premier League – I had never played in Europe before, and I really wanted to. It’s unbelievable to hear the Champions League anthem, it makes you pinch yourself. It’s one trophy the players here really want to win.”
Jack Grealish is not only expected to return to top form at Manchester City to reduce the pressure on him, but he also has to start scoring to increase his chances of being selected for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Recall that he played a major role in England’s effort to win Euro 2020. His effort helped the country to reach the final of the tournament but lost to Italy via penalties.
Ahead of the World Cup which will commence on 21 November and end on December 18, 2022, Grealish claimed England could win the tournament.
“Of course, we can win the World Cup”, he said. “I’m not going to sit here and say we are going to win it. We’ve definitely got a good chance and the way we played in the Euros gives us belief that we can win the World Cup.
“I came here to City to try and win trophies. That’s what you look at when your career ends – trophies and medals. Losing out with England has made me want to win trophies with City even more. We are playing some brilliant football at the moment and we are giving ourselves a really good chance of going on and winning a few trophies. That’s why I came here.”
Jack Grealish looks back a crazy few months and admits life at Man City is much more difficult than expected 🔵 pic.twitter.com/LvzdkC485c
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 25, 2021
