Jack the lad Grealish signs new deal – then scores key goal
➤ Captain will be club’s highest ever earner at £125,000 a week ➤ Martinez and Traore to join as Midlands club aim high
Jack Grealish has pledged his future to Aston Villa by signing a new five-year contract worth at least £125,000 a week.
The 25-year-old was a target for both Manchester United and Manchester City before Covid-19, but Villa concluded negotiations quickly to give head coach Dean Smith a huge boost for the season.
The new contract represents a significant pay rise for Grealish, and it is understood it also contains a large release clause, protecting Villa in the event of a bigger Premier League club coming in for the England international next year.
Negotiations over the deal picked up pace on Saturday, when Grealish had a Facetime call with Villa coowner Nassef Sawiris, shortly before Villa’s friendly against United. Grealish was already open to committing himself to a long-term deal, but it is understood he was convinced by what he heard in the conversation and the contract was signed yesterday.
Grealish played a key role in Villa’s Premier League survival last season, fulfilling his dream of playing regularly in the top flight. Villa’s captain also made his long-awaited debut for England in the Nations League game against Denmark last week, five years after opting to play for the country of his birth.
He is now believed to be the bestpaid player in Villa’s history and, as club captain, will be the talisman for what the board hope is a brighter future.
Villa scrambled to safety on the final day of last season, yet there is a clear determination from Sawiris, and his partner Wes Edens, eventually to establish the club in the top six of the Premier League.
They are on the brink of taking their summer spending to £75 million with the captures of Emiliano Martinez and Bertrand Traore, following the club record signing of Brentford forward Ollie Watkins and Nottingham Forest full-back Matty Cash.
Further signings are expected before the transfer window closes on Monday Oct 5 and Villa’s hierarchy are determined to prove they mean business as serious players, a point underlined by being able to convince Grealish to potentially extend his stay at the club until he is into his thirties. Grealish admitted it was the “stuff of dreams” and a relief finally to thrash out his future at the club he joined as a six-year-old.
“It’s been difficult for me being a Villa fan my whole life and being captain, not knowing where I was going to be over the summer,” he said.
“The hope the owners have got for the club was a massive factor in me deciding to stay.
“Last season, we finished 17th after spending a lot of money and we were probably lucky to stay in the league. But the ambition and drive the owners have got, bringing some brilliant players in, is something we need. I believe in the project that they want to go forward with.
“Now I can have my head straight. I didn’t want to be playing a few games for Villa and then moving, so I’m just so glad it’s all sorted.
“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.”