The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfield pool at Manchester City has been swollen further by the signing of Jack Grealish (£8.0m) from Aston Villa.
The England international has joined the reigning champions on a six-year deal, with a transfer fee of £100m being reported.
The player said upon his move:
I am incredibly happy to have joined Manchester City. City are the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world – it’s a dream come true to be part of this club.
Over the past 10 seasons, they have won major trophies consistently. Pep coming here has taken them to the next level and the football this team plays is the most exciting in Europe. To play for Pep and learn from him is going to be special and it’s something any top footballer would want.
The facilities are amazing, and I honestly can’t wait to get started, meet everyone and get playing.
City’s Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain, added:
We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Jack Grealish to Manchester City. He is an incredible talent.
Jack’s development over the past few seasons both for club and country has been plain for everybody to see. His natural talent together with his commitment to improve as a player, has seen him become one of the most exciting attacking players in world football today.
I am certain that the fans are going to love seeing him in our team. Pep loves the way he plays, and we all feel he is an ideal fit for Manchester City. Our style and his style are a perfect match. I’m excited to watch him over the coming years.
Grealish predominantly played on the left side of attack in a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 at Villa, although was occasionally deployed deeper in the central midfield trio.
Capable of also operating as a number 10, his move to City does beg the question over who will make way to accommodate him.
Raheem Sterling (£11.0m) and Phil Foden (£8.0m) were both used heavily down the left flank in 2020/21, while Ilkay Gundogan (£7.5m) had the stronghold over the left-side central midfield spot.
Above: Average position maps for 2021/22 taken from our Premium Members Area
Only two midfielders created more chances (CC, below) than Grealish in the Premier League last season, while new teammate Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m) was the only one who could beat his minutes-per-CC average of 27.
We’ll have more in-depth analysis on Grealish’s move in a Moving Target piece tomorrow.
