At the beginning of August, Jack Grealish became the first British player
to change clubs for £100m, moving from Aston Villa to Manchester City.
And this is the story of how that transfer record was broken.
The twists and the turns, and what nobody knew at the time.
At the heart of the Grealish saga was actually a release clause that was only made public
after the fact. It had been inserted into his contract when he signed a new five-year deal
last September and meant that he could leave the club if a Champions League qualified club
offered £100m, provided that bid arrived before the 7th August.
It remained confidential though, meaning – in theory - that City didn’t know about it and,
even with a bid matching the value received, Villa could stall in the
hope of getting more money from them or just to gain time to sign some players themselves.
That’s what would happen: when the initial offer arrived, a week before the transfer was completed
– at the end of July - Villa Chief Executive Christian Purslow indicated to the player that
it would be accepted. But there was nothing more formal, which did not please the player or City.
At one point, Villa held tentative conversations about whether Real Madrid could offer some sort
of player swap instead. Manchester United were called too and swap deals were also mentioned.
Many Premier League clubs are concerned that Manchester City’s success and financial clout
are damaging the competition and Villa were reluctant to sell.
But the Monday following the agreement that the bid would be accepted, frictions emerged
and Purslow was reminded by the player’s camp about the clause. Nobody wanted legal action.
Grealish genuinely loves Villa and wanted to leave on good terms with the fans,
especially as his family live in the Birmingham area. There was certainly no talk of refusing to
train and Villa insiders told The Athletic that Grealish’s behaviour was impeccable throughout.
But finally, with Leon Bailey signed and Danny Ings on the way,
Grealish was released to head for Manchester on the Wednesday.
Firstly though, he was asked to go out and watch an 11 v 11 training game while Villa finalised
the Ings deal and, secondly, he decided to make a speech in the changing room after that match,
during which he became emotional and at the end of which his teammates gave him a round of applause.
But the saga would end the next day, with Grealish completing a medical in Manchester City.
It means that Villa had their money, which will be paid in installments over three years,
and City had their target.
Pep Guardiola has made it clear that Grealish is the attacking midfield option he wants to
alternate with Ilkay Gundogan, who has become a key part of the City team,
particularly since David Silva left the club last summer.
But City’s interest stretches even further back, almost eighteen months.
Grealish has been aware of Guardiola’s admiration since he played against City in the Carabao Cup
final in March of 2020. Not only because Guardiola had praised his performances
in previous games between the two sides and also answered questions in detail in public,
but also because those in his inner circle had heard about how City would consider
firming up their interest if Villa were relegated from the Premier League that season.
Manchester United had a similar plan and were still considering
Grealish in the period after Villa had secured survival.
Eventually, they decided upon Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek, with his experience of
playing Champions League football, represented better value-for-money at just £35 million.
City shifted their focus onto the defence and spent almost £100 million on centre-backs Ruben
Dias and Nathan Ake. This summer, though, Grealish shot up to the top of the wishlist.
They knew that if they were to hit the £100 million figure,
Villa would consider selling their captain and that he’d be interested in joining.
One of Grealish’s favourite players, Kevin De Bruyne,
pulled him to one side after England played Belgium in the Nations League in 2020
to tell him that he was a brilliant performer in his own right, and would fit in well at City.
And, during the European Championship this summer, he was also able to find out everything
he wanted to know about City from the relevant representatives in the squad. Raheem Sterling
and Phil Foden are going to be two of his direct rivals for game-time this season, but he gets
on well with both and was able to learn more about his new club during his time with England.
And in the long-term, this may even seem like a prudent signing – or at least one instructed by
foresight. There’s a suspicion among Premier League clubs that Brexit will dictate that
stricter homegrown quotas could be imposed on English football in the next year or so,
and if that were to be the case then players such as Grealish would cost even more. It won’t make
that £100m look cheap, not by any stretch, but perhaps not as expensive as it could have been.
For now, though, it’s time for City to enjoy Grealish. The player who gripped the nation
all summer despite only playing a bit-part role in England’s run to the European Championship final,
and a player tasked with finally helping the club land that coveted Champions League title.