Jack Grealish gets Arsenal transfer verdict after latest Man City questions

Jack Grealish endured his toughest year at Manchester City last season despite winning his third Premier League title. With the arrival of Savio from Troyes it has sparked questions as to whether there might be a chance for the likes of Arsenal to land the England international.

Arsenal have popped up with surprises throughout Mikel Arteta’s tenure in the market. Ben White, Kai Havertz and Fabio Vieira came out of nowhere despite indications attention would be elsewhere.

With that in mind, football.london has got the perspective from both our Arsenal-focused writer Tom Canton and the Manchester Evening News’ Simon Bajkowski. The subject of Grealish certainly sparked some interesting responses.

Simon Bajkowski – Chief Man City Writer

Pep Guardiola famously ruined Jack Grealish by turning him into a Treble winner with three Premier League medals to his name, but after a disappointing 12 months, the pressure is on Grealish to deliver. City looked better with Grealish in the XI for most of last season, but it was telling that he was barely used in the final months of the campaign.

The signing of Savio could increase the competition for Grealish if the Brazilian winger sticks around, although that is par for the course at the Etihad. Everyone in the squad knows that if they are the best in their position for that week they will play.

Grealish isn’t looking to shirk that challenge and City aren’t looking to sell him, so it would take a serious offer from Arsenal that would make up a big chunk of the £100million City paid for him – on top of a wage package to rival his £300,000-per-week for a move to be even considered. The former Villa man would likely find a similar environment under Mikel Arteta, albeit it would be a relationship he has to start from scratch rather than the bond that has grown with Guardiola.

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It would take something silly for City and Grealish to even consider a deal, and Arsenal haven’t made such inroads on the Blues in the last few years by making silly decisions.

Tom Canton – Football Writer – Arsenal

The idea that Arsenal would spend a huge chunk of their summer budget on a player who is both a left-sided profile and one whose wages and form make little sense in the current climate seems mad to me. Grealish is a very talented player and Arteta has shown with Kai Havertz that he can revive player’s careers.

However, Arsenal’s left flank is a congested field with Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe all options for the position. Plus there are much more attractive options such as Nico Williams who the club would be minded to pursue instead.

Smith Rowe, who stylistically has more similarities than Grealish than the likes of Martinelli, has lost his place in the role. Arteta has preferred the more traditional profile of the Brazilian for the position, which is mirrored in Williams, again making a move for Grealish questionable.

Then there is the Man City side who have seen the Gunners become their main rivals for the Premier League title. They aided the club’s rise with deals for Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko and as a result might also be wary of allowing another talent move their too.