Martindale changes narrative to drive Livingston revival
"I'm in with the bricks and mortar, and if that changes I'm happy to shake everybody's hand and move on."
David Martindale isn't a man who beats about the bush.
The straightest talker in Scottish football stood on 19 May last year in front of the cameras. His team relegated and with new ownership coming into the club, the Livingston manager found it difficult to see what they future would hold for him.
One year on, he was standing in the middle of a party, surrounded by pizza boxes, spilled beer and raucous footballers, conducting a chorus of celebration at their instant return to the Scottish Premiership.
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Livingston's route back to the top was in Martindale's own image - through hard graft and adversity.
While the Premiership play-off final win over Ross County may have looked convincing with a 4-2 scoreline on the night and a 5-3 aggregate, they had to deal with losing a late equaliser on Thursday before then going 2-0 down in the Highlands.
Even to get to this stage, nothing was straightforward. For so long Livingston were in the title hunt with eventual Championship winners Falkirk, only to fall away as the season hit the home straight to finish three points behind.
Partick Thistle were then despatched 4-0 over both play-off semi-final ties, teeing up a date with a Ross County side without a win in 10.
"I'm really proud of the players, really proud of the staff. I get the credit but this isn't about me," said Martindale in Dingwall, surrounded by supporters.
"The players showed personality, they showed character. That was my players out on the park tonight and I'm so proud of them."
Martindale's teams in the Premiership were renowned for being awful to play against. Physical. Aggressive. In your face.
Coupled with an ageing plastic pitch, watching silky soccer wasn't a Saturday staple for the Livi support.
However, since dropping down to the Championship, he has taken the opportunity to rebuild and rethink. Quality players like Lewis Smith, who scored his side's fine first in Dingwall, Robbie Muirhead and Stevie May were recruited.
Combined with a solid core in defence, Livingston finished the Championship with the second best goal difference of 28.
"They've reinvented themselves, this is what one year in the Championship has allowed them to do," said former Livingston boss John Robertson on Sportsound.
"Martindale's recruited really good football players. They play good football which is not something you associate with a Livingston team who've had to find a way to stay in the league for six years."
BBC Scotland pundit Michael Stewart added: "He drives a lot of it, he's recruited really well, they play good football, they've got new investment and you heard it from the man himself the club are in a really good position."
There will perhaps be a few football fans disappointed with the result of Monday's play-off final.
Partly because of the aforementioned combative style used by Livingston in their previous stint in the top flight. Partly because of their rather modest support. Partly because of the denial of a cracking away day to Dingwall when the football returns after the summer...
Some supporters will also not be overly happy with the prospect of another team with an artificial pitch - along with Falkirk and Kilmarnock - being added to the Premiership. A few quips from the Livingston social media admin pointed towards the club perhaps not being the most popular.
Scottish Football right now… pic.twitter.com/idmbq5l8yX
— Livingston Football Club (@LiviFCOfficial) May 26, 2025
But none of that will matter to Martindale and his players.
Calvin Ford, the great-great-grandson of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, has recently become the club's majority shareholder. "There's a good foundation here, let's build this better and get this club back where it belongs, back in the [Scottish Premiership] and then let's see where we can go from there because I think there's a tonne of potential there," he said earlier this month.
So with fresh investment, and also a fresh new artificial surface being laid, it's quite possible that the Livingston returning to the top flight will be a far different beast to the one which departed 12 months ago.
What looks set to remain the same this close season though, is their manager.
"David Martindale is an integral part of the club," added Stewart. "You've got to give him a lot of credit this season.
"He himself saying Calvin Ford has reinvigorated him and you can see that. David Martindale is such an integral part not just for the obvious reasons, last season it looked as if the fire had started to dwindle in him and they got relegated you look at him this season and you could sense it was bubbling away in him again.
"They've got back up to the top flight and I do think he is such a strong part of that club."
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Leganes' relegation in May 2025 was a blow to those plans, but in May the president of Ligue 1 side Le Havre, Jean-Michel Roussier, told a press conference that Blue Crow was considering adding the club to its group. Owners: 20,000 socio members President: Luis Sabalza Since: 2014 Seasons in La Liga: 43 2023-24 TV revenues: €51m 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €51.9m Squad market value per Transfermarkt: €109m Total Revenue 2023-24: €71.2m Budget 2024-25: €80.3m 2024-25 final position: 9th Osasuna (the word means 'health' or 'vigour' in Basque) are the smallest of the four La Liga clubs still 100 per cent owned by their members. The Pamplona-based club's golden era came in the 2000s when they reached a first Copa del Rey final in 2005, then the 2006-07 UEFA Cup semi-finals. But when president Patxi Izco left in 2012, debts of €80m were discovered. The team were relegated in 2013-14, then became embroiled in the 'Caso Osasuna' match-fixing scandal. The only candidate willing to take over as president in 2014 was the club's former 'socios' defender (fans ombudsman) Luis Sabalza. Local businesspeople and former players chipped in to help with the required €1.8m deposit. The club and team were slowly rebuilt, with a big focus on their Tajonar academy, with players including Mikel Merino and Alex Berenguer sold to pay off debts. The backbone of the side that reached the 2023 Copa del Rey final were homegrown players, including 2024 Olympics gold medal-winning attacking midfielder Aimar Oroz. Advertisement A 2023 census showed that 43 per cent of Osasuna's members came from Pamplona, with most others living in its home province of Navarre. Presidential elections are due later in 2025, and it is unclear whether Sabalza, 77, will seek another term. Majority owner: Raul Martin Presa (shareholding of 97.8 per cent) President: Raul Martin Presa Since: 2011 Seasons in La Liga: 22 2023-24 La Liga TV revenues: €45.4m 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €45.4m Squad market value according to Transfermarkt: €67.9m Total Revenue 2023-24: €55.3m Budget 2024-25: Not public 2024-25 final position: 8th Raul Martin Presa was just 34 and unknown in football when he took control of Rayo Vallecano in 2011. He had run advertising and graphic design businesses before paying a nominal fee of one cent per share to the club's previous owners, the Ruiz-Mateos family. La Liga president Javier Tebas helped broker that deal in his previous role as a bankruptcy expert (Rayo's debts then included €39m in unpaid taxes). The Rayo president is hugely unpopular with most fans, especially the Bukaneros ultras, who often chant for his departure. Strife between the club's left-leaning fanbase and conservative ownership has been constant for decades — former owner Jose Maria Ruiz-Mateos had made his fortune during General Francisco Franco's dictatorship but was jailed for corruption when his companies collapsed after democracy returned. There have also been regular issues between the squad and the club hierarchy through Martin Presa's tenure, such as players protesting when club staff were furloughed during the pandemic. Coaches are often given 'presidential' signings who don't fit their plans — previously Radamel Falcao and this season James Rodriguez. The club's accounts for 2023-24 showed a profit of €4m, but also mentioned ongoing legal proceedings with the Spanish tax authorities over €28m in historical taxes allegedly not paid between 1996 and 2002. The crumbling three-sided Estadio de Vallecas is by far the Spanish top-flight stadium in the worst condition. Meanwhile, Rayo are the only one of the 39 clubs who joined La Liga's CVC investment deal but have yet to spend any of the funds due to them. Qualifying for next season's Europa Conference League was a tremendous achievement by the team, but it means the ground will need significant improvements to meet UEFA standards. Martin Presa said in January 2025 that moving to a new ground was 'vital for survival' of the club but no serious plans have yet been put forward to do this. Advertisement Owners: Local families President: Angel Haro (20 per cent shareholding) Since: 2016 La Liga titles: One (1934-35) Seasons in La Liga: 59 2023-24 La Liga TV revenues: €68.2m 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €109m Squad market value according to Transfermarkt: €173.1m Total Revenue 2023-24: €138.6m Budget 2024-25: €142.9m 2024-25 final position: 6th During two decades under president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, Betis broke the world transfer record to buy Brazilian Denilson for 500m pesetas (about €40m) in 1998, played in the Champions League in the mid 2000s, and went into bankruptcy proceedings in 2011 due to debts of almost €80m. After Lopera was forced out by the Spanish courts, the current ownership group headed by Angel Haro and Jose Miguel Lopez Catalan took control in September 2015. Club president Haro owns Seville-based energy and engineering company Wingenia. Lopez Catalan is a technology entrepreneur and club vice-president. Both now own around 20 per cent each of the club shares. Other smaller shareholders include local businessmen, fans and former player Joaquin Sanchez (who owns about three per cent). In September, the club received €125m funding via Goldman Sachs, refinancing previous debts and providing liquidity and solvency going forward. At their December 2024 AGM, a motion to change the club statutes to allow foreign investors to buy shares was passed, while reaching the 2025 Conference League final against Chelsea which they lost has further improved the club's global visibility. Owners: 95,612 club members President: Florentino Perez Since: 2000 to 2006, and 2009 to present Seasons in La Liga: 94 (all) La Liga titles: 36 (most recently 2023-24) 2023-24 TV revenue: €159.6m 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €754.9m Squad value according to Transfermarkt: €1.41bn Revenue 2023-24: €1.07bn Budget 2024-25: €1.1bn 2024-25 final position: 2nd 'Real Madrid has no owner, it belongs only to its socios,' Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said in 2016. A democratic ethos is integral to Madrid's self-image, though few doubt Perez is the socio most responsible for setting the club's policies during his spells as president, from 2000 to 2006, and 2009 to present. Advertisement Perez has been going to the Bernabeu since he was a boy during Madrid's first golden age in the 1950s. An engineer by profession, he worked for Madrid's town hall before entering business by taking over a small, bankrupt construction company in 1983. That company has become ACS Group, a global conglomerate whose activities in civil engineering, construction, technology and public services generated sales of €41.6 billion in 2024. Perez is ACS president, with a personal shareholding of 14.5 per cent, worth more than €1bn. Madrid's revenues have rocketed under Perez's stewardship and he proudly said at last November's club assembly that Madrid were the first football team with annual revenue topping €1bn. He also announced a coming referendum on 'the club's corporate reorganisation', prompting fears of Madrid being 'privatised', though Perez has long argued his first priority is to protect its socio model. Although any club member can run for the presidency, Perez has not faced a challenge since his return in 2009. Candidates must be Spanish citizens with 20 years as a Madrid socio who can personally guarantee 15 per cent of the club's annual budget — i.e. over €150m. Last January, Perez, 78, was re-elected unopposed, again, to the position until 2029. Owner: Andy Kohlberg (majority shareholder among US investors) President: Andy Kohlberg Since: 2016 Seasons in La Liga: 32 2023-24 TV revenues: €46.4m La Liga salary cap: €58.8m Squad value according to Transfermarkt: €82.7m Total Revenue 2023-24: €71.2m Budget 2024-25: €64m 2024-25 final position: 10th Real Mallorca were wracked by financial and institutional turmoil for some years, including bitter public battles between competing shareholders, before new U.S. owners arrived in January 2016. That group was led by current president Andy Kohlberg along with his former Phoenix Suns co-owner Robert Sarver, with other smaller shareholders including ex-NBA star Steve Nash and former USMNT player Stu Holden. Kohlberg is a former tennis pro and was a Wimbledon mixed doubles semi-finalist in 1987, who later made millions in senior care in the U.S.. He became Mallorca's majority shareholder in June 2023, when Sarver's connection with the club ended after a racism scandal, which also forced him to sell his Phoenix Suns shares. Advertisement The first years of Mallorca's U.S. ownership brought ups and downs, including dropping to the third tier for a season, while historic debts of €30m were paid off. The team has stabilised in La Liga for four seasons now and reached the 2024 Copa del Rey final. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr became a minority investor in August 2023, during a share offering that raised €14.7m and brought total investment from owners to over €60m. 'We've always taken a long-term perspective,' Kohlberg told The Athletic in April 2024. 'Our objective is to be a top 10 club, competing for Europe.' Owners: Multiple small shareholdings President: Jokin Aperribay Since: 2008 La Liga titles: Two (most recently 1981-82) Seasons in La Liga: 78 2023-24 TV revenues: €70.7m La Liga salary cap: €159.3m Squad value according to Transfermarkt: €383.8m Total Revenue 2023-24: €161m Budget 2024-25: €149m 2024-25 final position: 11th Real Sociedad are unique as the only La Liga club who are a private company in which no one shareholder can have a stake of more than two per cent. Local businessman Jokin Aperribay was elected president in December 2008, with the club facing bankruptcy due to debts of more than €40m and the team in the second division. Aperribay's father, Joaquin, was vice-president in the early 1980s when La Real won two La Liga titles. The family are controlling shareholders of SAPA, a manufacturer of transmission systems for military vehicles, though Jokin Aperribay rarely talks publicly about his family's business activities, which include a SAPA factory in Michigan. Under his presidency the club have grown while keeping their local ethos, with debts wiped out, a Copa del Rey victory in 2019-20, and regular participation in European competition. The club accounts for 2023-24 showed a profit of €1.2m and revenue of €161m, and were approved by 99.8 per cent of voting shareholders at last December's AGM. Advertisement Owner: Ronaldo President: Ronaldo Since: 2022 Seasons in La Liga: 47 2023-24 La Liga TV revenues: €18.4m (in Segunda) 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €41.8m Squad market value according to Transfermarkt: €40.4m Revenues 2023-24: not public Budget 2024-25: €58.7m 2024-25 final position: 20th Real Valladolid had always been controlled by wealthy families from the central Spanish city until ex-Brazil star Ronaldo bought a 51 per cent stake from previous club president Carlos Suarez in September 2018. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner, twice World Cup winner and 98-cap former Brazil forward has a wide range of business interests, including in marketing, finance, media and property. In October 2024, the 48-year-old spent €5.6m in a share offering, taking his total investment to more than €35m and total shareholding to 88 per cent. Since 2018, Valladolid have bounced around between the first and second divisions, with three relegations and two promotions. When the team is on the up, Ronaldo is been relatively popular, but when the team struggles, chants of 'Ronaldo go home' often ring around their Jose Zorrilla stadium. There were regular protests and calls for him to sell the club during a disastrous 2024-25 campaign in which they finished bottom. Ronaldo had been open about his investment in Valladolid being a business decision. He bought 90 per cent of Brazilian club Cruzeiro in December 2021, and sold it in April 2024 for an estimated £30m profit. In May 2025, Valladolid announced that Ronaldo had sold the club to a group of North American investors with the backing of a European fund. That deal still requires a green light from the Spanish government. Owners: Local families President: Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco Takeover: 2023 La Liga titles: 1 (1945-46) Seasons in La Liga: 81 2023-24 La Liga TV revenues: €72.5m 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €2.5m Squad market value according to Transfermarkt: €175m Total Revenue 2023-24: €174.9m Budget 2024-25: €120.9m 2024-25 final position: 17th Advertisement Sevilla are one of the very few La Liga clubs where groups of powerful Spanish families have retained control. The Del Nido family has the largest holding of around 24 per cent, the Sevillistas de Nervion group has 22 per cent, former club president Rafael Carrion has 15 per cent and Sevillistas Unidos 2020 has eight per cent. Unloved Americans 777 Partners — which also invested in Serie A's Genoa, Belgian club Standard Liege and the Bundesliga's Hertha Berlin, and tried unsuccessfully to buy Everton — bought around 13 per cent during an unsuccessful bid for control a few years ago. After 777 hit serious funding and legal problems, control of their shareholding passed to creditors A-Cap, but their Sevilla shareholding has been blocked by a Spanish court for now. Jose Maria del Nido Benavente was Sevilla president from 2002 to 2013, when he was jailed for the misappropriation of public funds. His son, Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco, is now president, allied with current VP Jose Castro, who held the position until December 2023. Del Nido Benavente is currently launching an extremely bitter legal battle to regain control, pitting father against son. Despite the team winning the Europa League in 2020 and 2023, Sevilla's finances have worsened significantly through recent years, and the club's 2023-24 losses were €81.8m. In March 2024 they took a €108m loan, organised by Goldman Sachs. There were angry protests against Del Nido Jr during the 2024-25 season, including fans breaking into the training ground in early May amid relegation fears, and the current president requiring private security at his home and the stadium. Many around Sevilla believe a new investor, whether local or international, will eventually buy out all the feuding parties. But finding such a saviour, and organising a takeover, looks quite difficult given all the financial issues and institutional turmoil. Owner: Peter Lim President: Lay Hoon Chan Since: 2014 La Liga titles: Six (most recent 2003-04) Seasons in La Liga: 90 2023-24 La Liga TV revenues: €59.2m 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €74.6m Squad market value according to Transfermarkt: €214.9m Revenues 2023-24: Not public Budget 2024-25: €99.1m 2024-25 final position: 12th Advertisement In October 2014, Peter Lim paid €94m for 70 per cent of Valencia's shares, while pledging to invest another €100m. The club's first foreign owner was mostly welcomed by local fans after years of institutional turmoil left debts of more than €300m. Lim rose from humble origins to become a star stockbroker, becoming one of Singapore's richest men in the early 1990s after investing in Malaysian palm oil plantations. He has since diversified into real estate, healthcare, fashion and sports. From 2014 to 2024 he was a part-owner of English lower-division club Salford City with the former Manchester United players known as the 'Class of 92'. There have been moments of success, such as the 2019 Copa del Rey victory, but budget cuts have seen the team's competitive levels drop significantly. Local fans and pundits have been annoyed by links to Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes and the club hiring Lim's friend (and former Salford co-owner) Gary Neville as coach. Last September, La Liga president Javier Tebas praised Lim's financial management of the club, pointing out he had invested lots of his own money (an estimated €190m, including loans), while previous local owners left behind huge debts. Fan groups and some former Valencia directors have tried to get Lim to sell without success. President Lay Hoon Chan said at a stormy club AGM in December 2024 that 'attractive' offers would be 'studied' by Lim but none had been received. Industry sources say it would take €400m at least to make him consider a sale. The team's revival through the second half of the 2024-25 under new coach Carlos Corberan avoided a financially disastrous relegation. Work restarted on the club's new stadium, which stood half-built for 15 years, in January. That project will cost €325m, including €80m from La Liga's CVC deal and money raised from land sales. Completing the new stadium and selling their current (old) Mestalla home would make sense before any sale occurs. Owner: Fernando Roig (98.79 per cent shares) President: Fernando Roig Since: 1997 Seasons in La Liga: 25 2023-24 TV revenues: €63.3m 2024-25 La Liga salary cap: €135.9m Squad value according to Transfermarkt: €218.6m Total Revenue 2023-24: €162.8m Budget 2024-25: €143.4m 2024-25 final position: 5th Advertisement In May 1997, Fernando Roig became the majority shareholder and president of Villarreal. The following season the team from a town of just 50,000 people achieved their first promotion to the Primera Division. Since then, it has often punched above its weight domestically and in Europe. Roig is owner and president of Spanish ceramics giant Pamesa, the club's long-time shirt sponsor. He also owns nine per cent of the huge Mercadona supermarket chain, which is run by his brother Juan. A third brother, Francisco, was Valencia president from 1994 to 1997. Villarreal's El Madrigal stadium was renamed Estadio La Ceramica in January 2017, in a nod to Roig having invested more than €200m in the club over the previous decades. The stadium has been further remodelled recently using money from the league's CVC deal. The business model continues to centre on developing young talent, from Diego Forlan to Santi Cazorla to Nicolas Jackson, and reinvesting profits when sold. Securing Champions League again for 2025-26 is further reward for Roig's steady stewardship of the club. (Top image, from left to right: Perez, Laporta, Lim; Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Jose Miguel Fernandez/NurPhoto, Florencia Tan Jun, Josep Lago/ AFP via Getty Images)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Jack Grealish is at a career crossroads. Which club could reignite his best?
Jack Grealish is at a crossroads. Just two years after being one of the main characters in an unforgettable treble-winning season for Manchester City, the 29-year-old started just seven Premier League games in 2024-25. While niggling injury setbacks have not been kind to him this season, it is clear that Grealish has fallen out of Pep Guardiola's plans. The writing was on the wall when he was an unused substitute when City required a goal in their FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace. Then for City's final game of the Premier League season away to Fulham, Grealish failed to make the matchday squad. Advertisement 'It's nothing personal with Jack,' Guardiola said after the Fulham match. 'I'm the person who fought for him to come here and the person who fought for him to stay here this season and the next season. I'm the one who said I want Jack Grealish. 'Now he didn't come (on) because he didn't come (on), but not something else. What happens in the future is a job for Txiki (Begiristain, City's director of football), Hugo (Viana, the club's sporting director) and the agents.' However you want to rationalise it, Grealish simply has not played enough football in recent seasons. He has played less than one-third of the available league minutes for two consecutive campaigns. It is worth noting that Grealish's drop-off in minutes has not come at the expense of his creative numbers when he does get on the pitch. A single assist in each of his last two Premier League seasons is a poor return whichever way you look at it, but a closer look at Grealish's expected assists (xA) — which denote the expected goals value of the shot that is assisted — suggest that his underlying output per 90 minutes has remained far more consistent (red dots below). Put simply, you cannot legislate for a team-mate missing an opportunity, whether you put the ball on a plate or not, and Grealish might feel hard done by, given the quality of chances he has created. There is the widely held view that Guardiola's disciplined positional play has been the antithesis of Grealish's off-the-cuff style, which is based on freedom and fluidity. There are countless other examples, but one of Grealish's typical behaviours within Guardiola's possession-dominant style is shown in City's game against Leicester City this season. Grealish receives the ball on the touchline with a stubborn 5-3-2 block facing him. After a few strides forward, he turns back and plays a simple ball backwards for Josko Gvardiol to circulate possession. City's general attacking structure has not helped at times this season, where a reluctance to make off-ball runs in behind has often left wingers isolated and forced to come back inside. Nevertheless, when zooming out, it is clear that Grealish's final season as a No 10 at Aston Villa was drastically different to his subsequent three seasons at City. His pass sonar below — which denotes the direction, frequency and distance of his passes — makes clear how much of Grealish's profile descended into playing a simple pass backwards within a positional Guardiola system. Grealish has had spells as a deeper-lying midfielder this season, most notably in their home victory over Nottingham Forest in December, when Guardiola praised Grealish's ability to control the tempo and accelerate the game. That 'pausa' is a trait highly regarded by Guardiola, but Grealish's free-spirit style sees him thrive in transitional moments — a rare occurrence in east Manchester. Give him space to run into, and he can punish opponents in the blink of an eye during transitional moments, as shown below when driving forward to assist Erling Haaland against West Ham United in 2023. So, if not City, then which club would best suit Grealish across Europe? Ironically, former club Villa would be an ideal location for Grealish to return to — both from a tactical standpoint and with Unai Emery's ability to reignite players' careers. Had things gone differently in the final game of the season, Villa would be boasting consecutive seasons in the Champions League under Emery and be in a far healthier financial situation when considering potential incomings. Advertisement A narrow No 10 role would suit Grealish perfectly if it were not for the fact that Emery's current squad is already stacked with midfielders capable of operating on the left or central attacking areas — with Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn all able to fulfil the role. Elsewhere in the Premier League, it is not financially realistic, but the style profile of Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth would all be an exciting prospect for Grealish to thrive in transition with greater freedom, with two of those teams able to offer European football next season. As the graphic below highlights, that trio were among the highest teams for their share of first passes forward during attacking transitions — the polar opposite to City. Grealish need only look at England international team-mates Morgan Gibbs-White or Eberechi Eze to see how similar profiles of players have thrived in such a style. In a slightly more realistic world, Tottenham's return to the Champions League would provide a good bargaining tool to attract Grealish's attention. Spurs have primarily focused on signing players under the age of 23 under Ange Postecoglou and sporting director Johan Lange, so Grealish's age and wage demands would likely count against him — even if there is tactical value to be indulged. While not as transitional in attack, the declining form and fitness of Son Heung-min means that a spot on the left side of Postecoglou's attack is up for grabs. Spurs are still well-stocked at left wing but Grealish's versatility to operate as a winger or an inside No 8 could act as a mirrored version of Dejan Kulusevski on Spurs' right side. With Grealish's penchant for a dribble, there is a strong case to be made that the 29-year-old would thrive when attempting such take-ons in wide areas, with underlapping runs from full-backs to drag opposition markers away. For context, only Barcelona and Real Madrid have attempted more take-ons than Spurs across Europe's top five leagues this season. Advertisement In continental Europe, there is justification why Grealish has been linked with Serie A champions Napoli this summer. As shown in The Athletic's team playstyle wheel below, Napoli's route to the Scudetto was built on a solid defensive foundation (chance prevention, 97 out of 99) but would benefit from further creative dynamism going forward (chance creation, 62 out of 99). They also have an attacking style that does look to make the most of transitional moments (patient attack, 41 out of 99). While Giacomo Raspadori performed admirably as a left-sided attacker after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's January move to Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli do remain a little light on their left flank. Grealish's dribbly style aligns with the Georgian's profile. British expatriates have enjoyed successful moves to Italy in recent seasons, most notably Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour's hero status since arriving in Naples — but also Kyle Walker, Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham (Milan), and, to a lesser extent, Dele (Como). The English contingent at Milan would be an attractive prospect to Grealish, but the best tactical option in Italy would surely be the newly crowned Serie A champions. If it were a transitional style that Grealish was looking for, then a glance over at the Bundesliga would certainly be worthwhile. Some might point to a potential Florian Wirtz-shaped hole that could need filling at Bayer Leverkusen, but Eintracht Frankfurt might actually be a more tactically interesting destination for Grealish's skillset. Dino Toppmoller's side finished third in Germany's top division — their highest for more than 30 years — to secure Champions League football next season, with one of the most transitional styles in Europe, as shown below by their volume of direct attacks. Frankfurt might vary their formation used, but the principles have largely remained the same. However, while Toppmoller's side have thrived in open spaces, they have had struggles against opponents who sit in a deep block — meaning Grealish's ability to unlock defences in either phase of the game would be warmly welcomed. Advertisement Grealish need only look at fellow Englishman Jadon Sancho as a player who found solace in Germany after difficulties on and off the pitch, returning to Borussia Dortmund following struggles at Manchester United. With an English contingent of Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Jamie Gittens and Carney Chukwuemeka all having success in Germany this season, Grealish should not turn his nose up at a move to the Bundesliga. Of course, if any club were to take a gamble on Grealish, they would do so knowing that a deal would come with its own caveats. Given his current contract — believed to be £300,000 per week — runs until 2027, a move would require any club to go deep into their pockets. Doing so would also be accepting that Grealish's resale value is rapidly diminishing, given that he turns 30 in September. With his public socialising remaining a bone of contention, many clubs do not have the time to wait for Grealish's fitness and form to return organically. 'Do I want the Jack that won the treble? Yeah, I want it, but I try to be honest with myself,' Guardiola said in January. 'I fought a lot for him, fought a lot to be here. I know that he can do it because I saw him. I saw his level and I want that, every single training session and every single game.' If a prospective manager can tease out that treble-winning version of Grealish, any deal would be well worth making.
