World Soccer - UK (2021-10)

30

eye-catching

transfers

Withthesummertransferwindownowclosed,JamieEvans

examinesthestandoutdealsfromaroundEurope...

1

Todescribe Grealish’s huge

£10 0 milliontransfer– thefirst

Britishplayerto moveforsucha

figure – as “eye-catching” would

besomethingofanunderstatement.

Itisa transfer thatprompts so many

questionsabouttheplayer himself, his

newmanager, theclubhehasjoined

andthe onehehasleftbehind,plus

howhisstatusinthenationalteam

willbe affected.

Themostobviousquery is whydid

ManchesterCityprioritisethe former

Aston Villacaptainoverotherareasof

thesquadthatneededstrengthening,

namelyleft-backandcentre-forward?

IsitanindulgenceonPepGuardiola’s

part,ordoestheCatalancoachbelieve

thatGrealishis capableofthe kind of

attackingnumbersthatKevinDeBruyne,

RaheemSterlingandSergioAguero

havedelivered in recentyears?

HowPepdeployshisnewsigning

alongsideSterling,DeBruyne,Ferran

Torres,PhilFodenandRiyad Mahrez

isa mouth-wateringprospect.Theearly

signsare thathewill be happyto trust

Grealishina midfieldtrio,andifhe

thrivesthereit will becomeincreasingly

difficultfor GarethSouthgateto

continueleavinghimoutof

England’s firstXI.

Andwhatofhisformerclub?

Onpaper, theVillanshaveinvested

their£100msmartly, with Leon Bailey,

EmilianoBuendiaandDannyIngs

allarriving.Yet plentyofclubshave

triedtoreplacea talismanwith

severalnewfacesbefore andfailed.

HowDeanSmithgetson with his

newchargeswillbefascinating.

SummerWindow 2021 - 22

KEy TRER

(AstonVillatoManchesterCity)

JACKGREALISH