Aston Villa manager, Steve Bruce, has confirmed that one of his key players, Jack Grealish, is set to be sold by the club this summer in order to abide by the Financial Fair Play rules. Grealish has unarguably been one of the best players in the ranks of the Villans over the past three years and it will be devastating for the Aston Villa fans to see him leave the Villa Park.
Under the stewardship of Steve Bruce, Aston Villa finished at the 4th spot in the Championship standings last season but they agonizingly failed to cross the last hurdle as Fulham defeated them in the playoff final. They were crippled by the FFP regulations after their failure to get promoted and the club finds itself in a helpless state at the moment.
The Lions need around £40million of cash injection and thus, they need to sell their prized assets to keep the club afloat. Apart from Grealish, James Chester and Jonathan Kodjia are also expected to be sold by Aston Villa. The Championship outfit is up against it and they need to take these drastic measures to salvage the situation.
Last week, Steve Round, who was the director of football of the club for £300,000-a-year, was forced out and it happened after the Chief Executing Officer, Keith Wyness, was shown the exit door. Aston Villa owner, Tony Xia, is currently looking for new investments and it will be really intriguing to see what happens at the club in the near future as it tries to battle for survival.
However, Grealish’s potential absence next season will be a major blow for The Claret and Blue. The 22-year-old scored 3 goals and registered 6 assists in the Championship and he fit perfectly under Steve Bruce’s tactical setup. His dribbling ability and his vision to impact proceedings in the final third was outstanding and the player will undoubtedly be missed.
His value rocketed after his endeavours of the previous campaign and Bruce has admitted his agony at the likelihood of Grealish’s exit. According to talkSPORT, Tottenham Hotspur have already lined up to make Grealish sign on the dotted line. Spurs may get their hands on the midfielder for only £15million and there is no denying that the West Midlands outfit are in no state to demand the deserved price for one of their star players.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored