Former England midfielder encourages Jack Grealish to transfer abroad and change Manchester City position

Yahoo

5 days ago

Manchester City's Jack Grealish has been encouraged to leave the Premier League and change his position in the process, according to one former England midfielder.
Grealish has been heavily linked with a departure from the Etihad Stadium this summer and is expected to not be part of Pep Guardiola's travelling squad for Manchester City's upcoming pre-season friendly against Palermo in Italy.
The 29-year-old made just seven Premier League starts last season and having been snubbed by England manager Thomas Tuchel in his first two squad selections as Three Lions boss, Grealish has it all to do if he is to salvage his international career ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Everton are in negotiations with City over a proposed season-long loan for Grealish, who joined the Blues from Aston Villa for a club-record £100 million in 2021 and has two years remaining on his contract, which is reportedly worth over £300,000 in weekly wages.
Grealish is mulling on his future as he assesses his options in England and abroad, having held an honest conversation with Guardiola over his Manchester City future at an Oasis gig at Heaton Park in July, which is understood to have left the forward wondering if he could benefit from staying put and fighting for his place at the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking to Premier League betting site talkSPORTBET, former England international midfielder Chris Waddle has encouraged Grealish to leave the Premier League entirely, change position in the process, and take up a new challenge abroad this summer.
'If Jack Grealish stays at Manchester City, I don't see him playing. But then again, is he priced out of the market? He's on a lot of money, so what would the transfer fee be? I could actually see him going out on loan. I think City may have no alternative,' Waddle said.
'Could they use him in a swap deal with someone who does want him? I've always said, and I'll defend Jack on this, he's not a winger. He's a midfield player in a three, and that's where I think you'd see the best out of Jack Grealish.'
The former Tottenham star added: 'If I were buying Jack Grealish or trying to get a deal to get him, I'd be looking to put him in that midfield three as an attacking player. Yes, we know he can do a job on the wing; he keeps the ball well, but he doesn't dribble and he's not got pace.
'If I were Jack Grealish, I'd also be looking to tell whoever wants him, I want to play as a midfield player. But at the minute, I could probably see City saying, Look, we don't really want to sell him in England.
'We could loan you abroad for a year. You could see teams in Italy, maybe Spain, Germany, somebody like that in those top bigger clubs thinking, 'We'll take him on loan'. But he's on unbelievable wages, and so a lot of clubs might be scared off because he's never been guaranteed to start at Man City.
'The market, let's be honest, has been very quiet on Jack Grealish. There have been a lot of people trying to start stories about him, saying Spurs wanted him and Newcastle wanted him. Personally, I think Jack Grealish would be better going abroad and playing as a midfield player.'