Statement of intent persuades Grealish to sign up
JACK Grealish has revealed how a long chat with Villa boss Dean Smith, co-owner Nassef Sawiris and chief executive Christian Purslow convinced him his long-term future was at the club.
The skipper signed a new five-year deal on Tuesday in what is a significant boost to everyone associated with Villa.
There was intense speculation linking Grealish with an £80 million move to Manchester United before the window closed – and he admitted he hadn’t enjoyed all the uncertainty.
“It’s been difficult, but it’s a nice problem to have,” he said. “If there’s speculation around your future and big clubs are looking at you then you know you’re doing something well.
“It was nice like that but being Villa captain and a Villa fan my whole life it was difficult too. I didn’t know where I was going to be over the summer. “I had a chat Saturday morning, before the Man United friendly, with Christian and the manager for about 45 minutes, and then I spoke to Nassef on FaceTime.
“The way they were speaking was crucial to me signing this deal. The hopes that they’ve got for this club was a massive factor in me signing this new contract.
“It’s just the ambition. I believe in the project they want to go forwards with. I am delighted to make this commitment to Villa. It is my club, my home and I am very happy here.
“The owners have made it very clear to me how ambitious they are and how they want to build Aston Villa. There are exciting times ahead and I am very glad to be part of it.
“Last season we finished 17th and we pumped a lot of money into the club last summer. Everyone wanted to finish higher, but that’s not always the case.
“If anything, we were lucky to stay in the league – with four games to go, I don’t think a lot of people thought that was going to happen. I always had faith in the team.
“It’s the drive and ambition going forward that the owners have. They’ve brought in brilliant players already and I’m sure there are going to be more coming through the door. It’s something we need.
“Four or five days ago I genuinely didn’t know where I was going to be starting the season, that’s how intense it was.’’
Purslow added: “Jack is an emblem of our owners’ vision for Aston Villa. He joined our club as a local boy aged six and has developed into one of the country’s finest players, finally becoming a full England international last week. We are determined to build a top team around him and are delighted he is extending his contract and committing himself to the club he loves.”
Twenty-five-year-old Grealish scored 10 goals in 41 games last term and earned his England debut in the 0-0 Nations League draw in Denmark.
But pundit and former Villa striker Chris Sutton believes Grealish’s decision to sign a new deal is an indicator that none of the big clubs were truly interested in making a move.
“It’s a brilliant piece of business for Aston Villa,’’ he said. “But the fact he’s signed, does that not mean the big clubs don’t want him? That’s the way it seems from the outside.
‘‘I’m sure the agent or whoever would have put feelers out, but they don’t want him and he’s said ‘okay, you don’t want me, I’ll sign another contract at Villa’.
“He’s their main man, their best player. All of those things. He looks like he’s going to be one of those players that’s there for life.
‘‘But is he going to win anything at
Aston Villa? That seems highly unlikely. If you have any ambition as a footballer you move to a club where there is a real chance of winning trophies. “They’ve given him a shedload more money – that suits Jack because nobody wanted him. But if a big club had wanted Jack, he would have gone there. I don’t know why we’re thinking anything different.”
However, Sutton insists the move is likely to be a massive positive for Villa as they look to further establish themselves in the Premier League.
“I’m not giving Jack a kicking here because he’s a brilliant, brilliant footballer and I think it’s a fantastic piece of business for Aston Villa.
“But the fact is if you get an offer from a huge club with the chance to play Champions League football, you’d have your head turned.”