Jack Grealish future: “It’s over” for Man City attacker under Pep Guardiola as summer transfer prediction is made

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has suggested that Pep Guardiola’s side may be forced to wait until later in the summer transfer window to attract interest from elsewhere in out-of-favour attacker Jack Grealish.

The 29-year-old is facing an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium after falling down the pecking order last season, starting just seven Premier League matches.

Grealish still has two years remaining on his Man City contract, but he has been tipped to leave the Citizens since he was omitted from Guardiola’s Club World Cup squad earlier this summer.

Over the weekend, Grealish was spotted at the Oasis concert at Heaton Park and expressed his “love” for Man City, saying the one thing he “loves more than anything” is Man City fans, who to him are “the best fans in the world”.

Despite that, and exit this summer appears to be increasingly likely, with several clubs both in England and abroad having been linked with either a loan or permanent move for the left-sided attacker.

Potential suitors are yet to express a firm interest in signing Grealish, though, and so his future at Man City remains very much up in the air ahead of the new season.

What does the future hold for Jack Grealish?

Asked if he is surprised that no clubs have made a concrete move to sign Grealish, McInerney told Sports Mole: “Yes and no. The financial package to sign Grealish would be ridiculous, even just on loan.

“I would guess, when push comes to shove, City will accept [to pay some of Grealish’s wages] because he's on about £300,000 a week. He's one of the most highly-paid players in English football, so there's very few clubs in England that can afford that. A lot of big clubs can, but I don't know how much they want to, as Grealish turns 30 in September. He's not young anymore.

“You look around the teams that you’d think he could go to, someone like Newcastle have just signed [Anthony] Elanga, they've got Anthony Gordon and [Jacob] Murphy as well, they've got quality players out wide and I don't think Grealish is necessarily the kind of guy who would play as a 10 for them either.

“Spurs are going down a different route under Thomas Frank. I don't think Grealish fits into that kind of route. [Aston] Villa maybe, but I just don't think they're going to retread that ground.

“Five years ago, you could see loads of potential options for him before he joined City, but it now just seems hard (to find Grealish a new club), and then you're looking at a slight lower tier of teams beyond that.”

“I think many teams will punt on loan for Jack Grealish. I think it's going to be a late-in-the-window kind of deal where they look where the squad is at and eventually City [choose to move him on].”

“It’s over” for Grealish and Man City... “It makes sense for him to go”

McInerney does not expect Grealish to remain at Man City beyond the summer window, adding: “I think we're all very aware that he's probably not coming back to the first team.

“It was very obvious that there's something going on there between Guardiola and Grealish. I think Pep has been a massive defender of Jack. The impression I get is that there's frustration there that he hasn't really applied himself in the way that Guardiola would have wanted.

“I love that he's been so sweet about City fans (at the Oasis concert) and I'm sure he means it. I'm sure he does love Man City, because they’ve given him an incredible few years at City and he's won everything there. I think Jack knows he's a very smart guy that way, he's good with people and he knows exactly what to say. I'm sure he was honest...but I think sometimes things run their course.

“As much as I love Jack as a person - I think he's wonderfully likable, one of the most likable footballers in the world and just so down to earth, is so charming - we also can't deny the fact that I think Guardiola wants it to work, but it isn't working and Jack hasn't taken it very well.

“There's been a few signs here where he's been a little bit defensive online, replying to people's Instagram comments and I think he's probably been scorned a little bit, because it takes a bit of a hit to the pride to be sort of left behind.

“But I think it's over. City are trying to move on and in every single way: financially, age and also I think we've seen the best of him. It just makes sense for him to go.

“I don't know where he'll go. I think it will be a loan, though, towards the end of the window. I can see some team looking at their squad and going to City looking for a bit of a bargain and maybe getting Jack Grealish for just half his wages or something like that."

Guardiola did not ‘stifle’ Grealish at Man City

McInerney has played down suggestions that Guardiola has “stifled” Grealish at Man City with his philosophy and feels that the attacker has ultimately struggled to build on his impressive efforts in the club’s historic treble-winning 2022-23 campaign.

“Grealish at his very best is an incredibly unique player” said McInerney. “A lot's been made about it whether Guardiola sort of stifled him. He didn't. I think that's not true. Did Guardiola stifle [Riyad] Mahrez or [Raheem] Sterling or Kevin De Bruyne or [Lionel] Messi or the plethora of brilliant wingers at Bayern? He didn't. We know that's not true.

“I think some players just suit life at the very top a bit better and some people don't. Grealish had a really good spell around the [treble-winning season], he just couldn't keep it up for his own personal reasons.

“There is a narrative around him, but I think the perception of that is reasonably positive towards Grealish if that makes sense. It's a negative narrative, but it paints Grealish in a light of being a really talented footballer that could still thrive elsewhere. I think a lot of people will look at Grealish and feel that.

“Football has changed a bit in the Premier League over the past few years. It is more intense, more organised and more structured. Grealish isn't afraid to work to be fair to him, but I can see why a lot of people want fast, pacey wingers out wide, given it's more transitional based and everyone works really hard.

“But there will be a team who will look at Grealish and think he’s the guy who could be the difference between mid-table and challenging for the Europa League or something like that, because he does have that level of quality.”

Could Grealish move to Saudi Arabia this summer?

McInerney believes that Grealish must be “realistic” when choosing his next club and has not ruled out the possibility of clubs from the Saudi Pro League entering the race for the England international, who is allegedly valued by Man City in the region of £40m.

“I don't think he's humble enough to take a bit of a step down from City,” McInerney added.” I'm sure he would want Champions League football or Europa League football, but I think he has to be realistic. He's not going to go to Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal, teams like that.

“Who knows, maybe it could be the Saudi league that comes in for him. If the Saudi league carries on this recruitment that they've got, Jack Grealish is an incredible pull because he's such a marketable player, very talented, the league will enjoy Jack Grealish.

“I can imagine him going over there. Jack Grealish is very much the guy who goes on holidays to the area, he's always posting photos of him training over in the Middle East and stuff like that, so maybe the Saudi league will come in for him.

“At that point, £30m to £40m it's not unreasonable, [but] I can see why, given the wages and his age, other clubs wouldn't go in for him. It is a fair fee for a player of his quality, because you’d get three years of Grealish creating really well as a 10 for you, but I also get the caution.”

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Written by
Oliver Thomas