Money makes the world go round, and in the north of England the big spenders have been splashing the cash. And I’m not talking about Burnley’s signing of Wayne Hennessey!
Both Manchester clubs have been busy in the transfer market; Manchester United have signed Jadon Sancho in a big-money deal from Borussia Dortmund, and the Sky Blues pulled off the Premier League signing of the summer last week, bringing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa to the Etihad for a league record fee of £100m.
Last season, Grealish was never far away from the Premier League 2021 highlights, and many England fans were surprised he had relatively little game time at the Euros. When he was on the pitch, England looked braver and more dangerous, and I’m sure Grealish believes a move to a bigger club could make him an automatic pick for the Three Lions.
It’s no guarantee, of course, as his new team-mate Phil Foden – widely considered to be England’s most gifted young player – spent much of the tournament warming the bench too.
But that brings me to the most exciting factor of Grealish’s move to the Etihad. He’ll be lining up in a midfield which already contains Foden and Kevin de Bruyne. All three bring something different to the party.
The Belgian maestro is the most consistent assist maker in the league, possessing a killer pass as he threads the ball through the eye of any needle, and he has a brilliant shot on him.
City fans tell me that Foden doesn’t run with the ball, he glides and then, in the blink of an eye, he has an electric turn of pace to leave a defender bamboozled; in parts of East Manchester he’s likened to the great Colin Bell who himself was nicknamed Nijinsky after the legendary thorough-bread racehorse.
And now there is Grealish: the most fouled player in the Premier League over the past two seasons. Yes, he seems to go over easily at times, but the real reason for this stat is that he is far too clever for most defenders; the ball sticks to his feet and he has incredible speed of movement as well as thought.
This addition could make City unbeatable.
It’s an emotional move for Grealish as he leaves his boyhood club and the team he supports. He led the Villains to the Premier League in 2019, but in the 2019/20 season they were so lucky to avoid relegation, when faulty goal-line technology saved them in a crucial match against Sheffield United. Villa keeper Orjan Nyland caught a free-kick and then carried it clearly over the line. The goal-line technology failed for the first time in 9,000 matches!
Without that help Villa would have returned to the Championship, and without Grealish they would have been down by Christmas. Last season the Villains started brightly and flirted with a Europa League place before they finished in a respectable 11th place, a good improvement but not befitting a player of Grealish’s potential.
At 25 years of age, he has his best years ahead of him and that is an exciting prospect for the Manchester City faithful. Grealish started on the bench in City’s 1-0 Community Shield defeat to Leicester City and he appeared midway through the second half.
While the result didn’t turn out as he may have hoped, Grealish showed glimpses of his undoubted skill and he could make his league first start for City in their season opener away to Tottenham Hotspur, a game the Sky Blues are expected to win, at SBOTOP odds of 1.71.
I can’t see past Manchester City for the title and the Premier League 2021 betting odds agree with me, placing the Sky Blues odds-on at 1.71 to win again. Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all have realistic chances to challenge, but I suspect City’s summer dealing is yet to be completed. It seems the club is ramping up its pursuit of England skipper Harry Kane after the Spurs man failed to turn up for training last week and has made no secret of his desire to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in search of silverware.
Kane has returned to training, but he must self-isolate for five days due to quarantine rules, and it will be interesting to see whether he is on the team sheet when Spurs meet Manchester City on Sunday. If not, then the speculation will reach fever pitch, with some reports emerging that the striker has already agreed to terms with the Sky Blues.
Spurs are notoriously hard to deal with, but the north London club must realise they are better off cashing in than having an unhappy player in their hands. And if Pep Guardiola lands the 28-year-old then the fee will smash this new record. But then City fans can look forward to the almost unbelievable prospect of its world-class midfield providing chance after chance for the most prolific striker in the Premier League.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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