When you think of Aston Villa’s Premier League icons, several names spring to mind. Throughout the duration of this era, there have been some legendary figures to have graced the hallowed turf at Villa Park, and don that famous claret and blue shirt.
Perhaps the most iconic is the 1992/23 PFA Player of the Year winner, Paul McGrath. He played 142 times in the Premier League for the Villans, which included helping them to second place in the competition’s inaugural season. Off the back of that, he was named as the PFA Player of the Year, a superb achievement for someone who didn’t even win the title.
Gareth Barry is another legendary Villa figure who springs to mind. The defensive midfielder was a stalwart at the base of their midfield for years. He played for Villa for over ten years between 1997/98 and 2008/09, before departing the club for pastures anew at Manchester City. He has the most ever Premier League appearances to his name, although could be overtaken by another former Villa man, James Milner, next season.
Former striker Dwight Yorke is another player you think of. He made 179 Premier League appearances for the Villans, scoring 60 times and registering 31 assists. Nowadays, Villa’s talismanic striker is Ollie Watkins, who himself has had a stellar campaign. The England international has scored 19 times and registered 13 assists in 37 Premier League games for Villa in 2023/24.
However, there is one other name that you might think of, someone who Villa have recently been linked with bringing back home; Manchester City and England international Jack Grealish.
The 28-year-old has been linked with a sensational move back to Villa Park, just three summers on from his £100m departure to the Etihad Stadium.
Villa eyeing Premier League midfielder
Grealish’s return to his boyhood club could well only come to fruition if a proposed move for Conor Gallagher from Chelsea did not come about. The Villans have been linked with the England international in recent days and could make an offer.
At least, this is according to highly reputable journalist David Ornstein of The Athletic. Ornstein reports that Villa have recently held “preliminary talks” with Chelsea over a move for the 24-year-old, and are also “in contact” with his camp.
Gallagher has been heavily linked with a departure from Stamford Bridge this summer, and Unai Emery’s Aston Villa could offer the Englishman a way out of his boyhood side. As per Fabrizio Romano, it could cost up to £50m to prise Gallagher away from Chelsea.
However, if Villa do not deem this deal, they could well turn their attention to the former club captain Grealish. Emery’s side could hope to bring him back over the summer to strengthen their squad ahead of their Champions League campaign next season.
How Grealish would benefit Aston Villa
There is no doubt that a return to Villa Park for Grealish would be seismic. Football Insider reporter Wayne Veysey explained in an article last month that it is a possibility, with the Villans supposedly “plotting a sensational bid” which would see their former number 10 return to the club this summer.
According to the report, Emery’s side would “jump at the chance to make a move” for their former captain. He left as a Villa legend, a "world superstar", as Dan Bardell called him, amassing 213 appearances for his boyhood club in all competitions, scoring 32 goals and registering 41 assists. He has featured in 170 Premier League games so far in his career and has scored 26 goals, registering 28 assists.
2013/14
Villa
1
0
0
2014/15
Villa
17
0
1
2015/16
Villa
16
1
0
2019/20
Villa
36
8
6
2020/21
Villa
26
6
10
2021/22
Man City
26
3
3
2022/23
Man City
28
5
7
2023/24
Man City
20
3
1
The 28-year-old former Villa captain was one of the most flair players in the Premier League during his time in the Midlands. However, he is in a more restricted system at the moment under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium and has less of a chance to express himself. With that being said, he is still an exceptional player, who may excel with some more freedom as a number 10 in Emery’s famed 4-2-2-2 system that he employs at Villa Park.
The England international is a wonderful ball carrier, one of the most exciting features of his game. As per Fbref, Grealish averages 7.24 progressive carries per 90 minutes, a stat which ranks him in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe. He also averages 3.92 carries into both the final third and the penalty area. This ranks Grealish among the best top 3% and the best 2% respectively across Europe.
Another feature of Grealish’s excellent ball-carrying skills is how good he is at winning fouls. Whilst this may seem unimportant, it is an extremely effective part of his game. In 2019/20, he won 167 fouls in the Premier League, which is a record number for a player in a single season, as per Squwaka. Within the last year, he has won an average of 3.43 fouls per 90, which ranks him in the top 1% of attackers.
By signing the City star over Gallagher, you lose lots of versatility in deeper areas. That is to say, Gallagher can operate comfortably in deeper areas and is better off the ball than Grealish, The Chelsea man averages 3.68 tackles and interceptions per 90 as per Fbref, compared to Grealish’s 1.44 per 90.
However, passing up on a modern-day club legend like their former skipper may be too good to turn down. He is well-liked by the Villa squad too, with current club captain John McGinn once describing him as “one of the best I've played with” during an interview in 2019.
Grealish himself admitted last month that he still gets to “watch them all the time when they are on TV”, and declared that they “are like family to me” and that he always wants Villa “to do well”.
Given his connection with the club and the fact he is a boyhood Villa fan, a reunion would be seismic, even bigger than any proposed deal for Gallagher. Should he return to Villa this summer, he will get to represent them in the Champions League, and that might be an opportunity that is too good to turn down. What a story this would be.
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