Jack Grealish is looking forward to linking up with Kevin De Bruyne, a player he regards as one of the best in the world, after completing his £100 million move to Manchester City.
Grealish’s almost 20-year association with Aston Villa came to an end when he signed a six-year contract with City worth in excess of £200,000 a week. In doing so, the attacking midfielder became the most expensive player in the history of the English game, surpassing the £89.3 million fee that Manchester United paid Juventus for Paul Pogba five years ago.
Grealish cited his desire to win silverware and play under Pep Guardiola as two of the reasons why he joined City, but also said that lining up alongside De Bruyne had played a big part in his decision to switch clubs.
“I have always said that apart from [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi, I think he [De Bruyne] is the best in the world,” Grealish, 25, said.
“He has got absolutely everything. I don’t think people give him credit for how fast he is, and his final ball is unbelievable. In the [2019-20] season I got six assists, and then I sat down with the [Villa] manager [Dean Smith] and I was watching clips of Kevin De Bruyne. I said: ‘This is what I want to do. I want my end ball to be like his,’ and that is something I practised. Then last season I ended up getting ten assists in 25 or 26 games.”
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Grealish will wear the No 10 jersey vacated by Sergio Agüero, who joined Barcelona at the end of last season. Villa tried to persuade their academy graduate to sign a new deal this week after City triggered the release clause in his contract, but Grealish knew the opportunity to play for Guardiola would not come around again.
“Playing under the best manager in the world was something I couldn’t really turn down,” he said. “Playing in the Champions League was a massive thing for me, I haven’t done that yet.”
Grealish sought to appease Villa fans who were angry at their captain’s departure with an emotional goodbye message on social media. “I’ll always be a Villa fan,” he said. “I love this club with all my heart and I hope you understand my reasons for seeking a new challenge.”
In an address to supporters, the Villa chief executive Christian Purslow spoke about why the release clause had been inserted into the five-year deal that Grealish had signed last summer.
“Jack wanted to be certain that if at any point a Champions League club came in for him and Aston Villa were not in the competition, we would not stand in his way,” Purslow said. “For that reason, we agreed to incorporate a so-called release clause. We set the value at a level we hoped would not be met, but reflected his true value to Villa.”
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There has been much debate about how Grealish can fit into the team given that Guardiola’s squad already contains many excellent attacking midfielders. The City manager has already chatted at length with his new signing about his plans for him.
“The way this team is set up to play suits me down to a tee,” Grealish said.
“I have spoken to the manager already about positions and I think I could play as a No 8, if the manager plays a 10, on either wing or even as a false nine.”
