Premier League strugglers Aston Villa have been issued yet another warning shot by Manchester United, as the Daily Mirror are reporting that the Red Devils are ready to sanction a £70m offer for the signature of English attacker Jack Grealish. The youngster has been rated extremely highly throughout the season, and despite the Villans’ struggles near the bottom of the table, Grealish has been the lone shining star.
It has been suggested in the report that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are desperate to get this deal over the line in the summer, as they look to add more firepower to the squad to provide added support to winter acquisition Bruno Fernandes. The report claims that Manchester United are willing to move quickly in an attempt to secure the deal, with the 24-year-old dribbler set to make his national team debut later this year as well.
How Has The Villans’ Current Campaign Progressed?
One of the biggest reasons behind the Midlands club making their way back into the Premier League was unquestionably Jack Grealish. The youngster played in 31 league fixtures for the Villans since the start of the last season – a period during which he picked up an unfortunate shinbone injury in the middle of December 2018. Although he missed more than two and a half months of league action, his return made this Aston Villa side a force to be reckoned with.
Having secured promotion into the top-flight, thanks to the exploits of Tammy Abraham as well, the Villans currently ply their trade in the Premier League. They showed great willingness to fight in the summer by announcing some big-money signings. Douglas Luiz was acquired from Manchester City, while young striker Wesley was also signed as Dean Smith tried to find the right ingredients for Premier League football. Despite all this though, they currently find themselves in 19th place on the table, thereby highlighting the need for additions.
Here are two positions that Dean Smith must strengthen if Grealish gets sold for £70m:
Wingers/Attacking Midfielders
While the departure of such a talented player from the front-line of any team would have dire effects, even at this point, there is a lack of high-quality attackers at Villa Park. While Anwar El Ghazi, Jota and Trezeguet seem like good options, the lack of consistency being displayed by each of them further clarifies this point. Dean Smith just doesn’t seem to trust any of them with a regular starting role, which means that using a major chunk of the £70m on strengthening this position would make sense for the Midlands club.
Goalkeeper
The injury to Tom Heaton midway through the campaign came as a gutting blow to this Villa side, as they have only recently started to understand the experienced Englishman’s value. The recent outing against Leicester City has shown Pepe Reina in the worst possible light, while the inconsistency that’s often displayed by both Jed Steer and Orjan Nyland make them difficult choices to start with as well. Dean Smith will do well to use a small part of the potential £70m fee from the Grealish sale to fund the purchase of a top-quality shot-stopper between the sticks.
