Unai Emery has been encouraged to make a statement January signing at Aston Villa.
Ex-Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has urged his former club to make an approach for Manchester City star Jack Grealish, though he’s aware of the potential financial stumbling blocks in the way of a potential deal.
Hendrie believes it’s the right time for Grealish to escape City as he’s struggling for consistent minutes under Pep Guardiola. Now 29, Grealish only has a few years left at the top of his game and sitting on the bench isn’t going to help his longevity. Add the fact that City are underperforming and unlikely to win any silverware this season, it seems the perfect time for Grealish to depart.
It could be tricky for anybody to sign the versatile attacking midfielder as he still has two and a half years left on his bumper contract at the Etihad Stadium following his £100 million transfer in August 2021. But Hendrie reckons a romantic return to Villa could work for all parties, at least in a footballing sense.
-
-
AS Monaco are in something of a crisis heading into Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Aston Villa. Despite being in the respectable position of fourth in Ligue 1, Adi Hutter’s side have only won one of their last eight matches in all competitions and that victory came against lower league side Union Saint-Jean in the French Cup. Excluding that routine 4-1 win, Monaco have only claimed victory in one of their last 10. Powered by Their young side hasn’t fully recovered from their last defeat to Benfica at home matchweek five of the Champions League league phase. They were winning 2-1 until goals from Arthur Cabral and then Zeki Amdouni turned the game around in the final stages. READ | Why Ollie Watkins ‘got a bit frustrated’ as striker closes in on Aston Villa history READ | Aston Villa’s dream transfer window as five sign and seven leave in January Then, following a defeat at Marseille and a win over Toulouse in the league, Monaco lost 3-0 at Arsenal in matchweek six. It leaves them 16th in the league phase table, but only three points behind Villa in fifth place. After that loss at the Emirates Stadium, Monaco played out a 0-0 draw with Reims before they suffered defeats to Paris Saint-Germain in the league and cup either side of beating Union Saint-Jean. Failure to beat Nantes and then being knocked out of the French Cup via penalties against Reims meant Monaco’s trip to Montpellier was a ‘must win’ to get them back on track. “I think this is the right match to motivate the whole team just before the Champions League,” Mohamed Salisu said before the game. “It is a very important match to get an energy boost and regain confidence in order to best prepare for the match against Aston Villa. We believe in ourselves and we want to take the three points. “We have no doubts, football is about ups and downs depending on the period. We are currently in a bad moment and we have to fight to get back to the top. The season had started very well and we were in good form, we just need to believe in what we are doing on the pitch and listen to the coach’s tactical advice to get back to our level.” But Monaco fell to a shock 2-1 defeat against Jean-Louis Gasset’s Montepellier and Hutter claimed the important match with Villa wasn’t in the minds of his players. Powered by “Today, it’s more than a big disappointment, it’s a real gut punch for us and everyone at the club,” Hutter said after full-time. “At the start of the season, the wins were stacking up, everyone was happy. I have been in professional football for 35 years as a player before and as a coach now. It is not the first time this has happened to me and the main thing I have learned is to stay positive, work on the details and help the team.” Asked if he thought that the Champions League match against Villa could have affected the team’s mentality, Hutter responded: “I don’t think so, I have the feeling that the team was completely focused on this match. You could see that in the first half, we wanted to make the difference quickly but we missed too many chances. In the second half, we wanted to score the second goal but we made an individual error. We then had no right to concede another goal. “We tried to come back after with several chances in the last minutes but it was too little. I have a lot of respect for Montpellier but we needed to impose ourselves to regain confidence. Tuesday will be a completely different match, it’s the Champions League at home, but I don’t think the team already had Aston Villa in mind.” What is your Monaco vs Villa score prediction? Tell us here READ NEXT: Louie Barry makes transfer decision as Aston Villa told he’s ‘ready’ to accept deal Aston Villa transfer news with latest on Garcia and Bade as trio could leave I visited huge new Midland charity shop and wished the previous store never shut down Marks & Spencer has £29.50 ‘best alternative’ to Levi’s that’s £80 cheaper Aston Villa favourite could join Premier League rivals Man City ‘on loan’ Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
January 20, 2025
-
-
“I’d love to see Jack Grealish back at Aston Villa. Grealish is Villa through and through,” Hendrie told 10bet.
“I remember speaking to him when he signed for City, I was commentating on one of their games, and we had an in-depth chat, and he was saying he’s finding it difficult to adapt to new surroundings. I said to him, get on with it and go on and enjoy your football. It’s your time to go on and win trophies, and that is exactly what he’s done.
Jack Grealish recently drew a blank as Aston Villa beat Man City 2-1 at Villa Park.Jack Grealish recently drew a blank as Aston Villa beat Man City 2-1 at Villa Park.
Jack Grealish recently drew a blank as Aston Villa beat Man City 2-1 at Villa Park. | Getty Images
“He’s such a fantastic person; he’s got a massive heart. I don’t think that we’ve seen the best version of Grealish at City, or the version that steps out onto the grass and enjoys himself. We’ve only seen snippets, but I think that Jack is essentially playing in a way that his manager demands of him.
“When I watch Jack play for England, it’s like he’s a different person. He plays with a lot more freedom. If you’re looking at his contributions, goals and assists, then you can say that it’s been disappointing for him, but we know he’s got stacks of ability, and we know he can contribute a lot more.
“It’s at the stage now where Jack should probably be thinking about leaving the football club. Nobody could deny that the move hasn’t been successful, he’s won everything there is to win during his time there, but I think for himself, he needs to find his enjoyment in playing again. He’d be an asset for any top football club. I would love him at Villa, but would they have the finances to bring him back? It would probably be a complicated deal to complete.
“I know the Villa fans have given him some stick, but I think they would love to see him back at Villa Park. He wouldn’t be coming for a pay day; he’d be coming to win something with Villa and help take the club up a level. It would be brilliant if he came back. I do feel he has to go and leave Man City at the moment to find some enjoyment in his game,” Hendrie concluded.
It can’t be ruled out that Grealish, who has scored 14 goals and made 20 assists in 143 City appearances, could make a resurgence in Manchester. It’s looking unlikely at this stage, though, and the 39-time England international may not have much longer in his prime. Big decisions await.
