Villa Park return is painful reminder that Jack Grealish is wasting his talent at Man City
The IndependentSign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Jack Grealish is struggling to contribute at Man City open image in gallery Pep Guardiola has transformed Grealish’s style of play – perhaps not for the better If Grealish traded a free role at his hometown club for more disciplined duties when chained to the touchline by Guardiola, he has swapped life as an automatic choice at Villa for a more uncertain status now at City. open image in gallery Grealish’s success at Aston Villa feels a long time ago open image in gallery Grealish celebrated Man City’s 2023 treble in style But Grealish has just two assists in the Premier League since the start of last season. At least one of City’s two biggest buys has proved more prolific than expected: the problem is that, since he arrived, the defender Josko Gvardiol has delivered three goals for every one Grealish has mustered, outscoring him 9-3. A return to Villa could have a romantic appeal but do they – or, say, West Ham or Tottenham or Newcastle – have any need for a player on a superstar’s salary who might score three goals a season and who has had three underwhelming seasons in four?