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Jack Grealish Agrees New Aston Villa Contract Amid Tottenham Rumours
September 24, 2018
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish has signed a new contract with the club despite speculation linking him with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Midlands club confirmed the extension on Monday on Twitter:
According to John Percy of the Daily Telegraph, the 23-year-old will double his weekly salary to £40,000 as part of fresh terms.
"Grealish's current deal did run out at the end of next season but the new terms are a reward for his emergence as one of the best players outside the Premier League," continued the report. "Gareth Southgate's No. 2 with England, Steve Holland, watched Grealish in Villa's win over Rotherham on Tuesday."
For Spurs the new contract will likely end any chances of signing him during the January transfer window. Tottenham, who didn't sign anyone ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, made an offer worth around £25 million for the Villa man.
While this news will please Villa supporters, at the moment the club are struggling to get going in the Championship. Despite hopes of a promotion push, they languish down in 13th, with one win in seven in the second tier; they were beaten 2-1 on Saturday at home by Sheffield Wednesday.
After excelling late last term and helping Villa get to the Championship play-off final, Grealish has also failed to find his best form early on. He's featured nine times and has a solitary assist so far.
Matt Maher of the Express and Star sensed a recovery of form for the player and Villa may be on the cards in the coming weeks, though:
Scouted Football provided statistics recently that show, despite his inconsistency as of late, that the Villa man is still a key creative outlet:
Operating as either a No. 10 or tucked in from the left flank, Grealish's ability to ghost past opponents, receive the ball in tight positions and find intelligent passes make him a potential game-changer in the division.
Had Villa been promoted at the end of last season—they were beaten in the play-off final 1-0 by Fulham—it would've been interesting to see how those refined traits translated to the Premier League.
It also would've been fascinating to see Grealish under the guidance of a coach like Mauricio Pochettino, who has been so beneficial to a number of English players in the past at similar points in their career to the Villa man. We may have to wait a while before seeing those two in unison, though.