Aston Villa are enjoying a new-found level of success under Unai Emery, with the Villans back among European competition and continuing to climb the table following the Spaniard’s arrival.
When the former Villarreal boss took charge from Steven Gerrard in October 2022, Villa were sat in 16th place in the Premier League table with little direction and fluctuating form, form that he immediately turned around to see his side finish 7th last term.
A successful summer in the transfer market put the Villans in good stead to progress beyond their 7th place finish in 2022/23, and while a lot of the club’s recent progression is thanks to Emery, there is another figure that enabled everything to unfold as it has today.
When Villa sold Jack Grealish in 2021, many were anxious over the void that the Bodymoor Heath product would leave in the squad however the £100m profit that was generated from the sale proved to be integral to the club’s development.
How long was Jack Grealish at Aston Villa for?
A product of Villa’s budding academy, Grealish lived his childhood dream in representing the Midlands side for 19 years of his playing career, joining at the age of six and leaving as the club’s captain.
The Englishman made a total of 213 appearances for Villa over the years, scoring 32 goals and registering 43 assists in all competitions for the first team.
Deployed as both an attacking midfielder and a left-winger, the academy graduate was handed his league debut in 2014, playing two minutes against Manchester City.
The following term in the 2014/15 campaign, the Birmingham-born ace made his breakthrough into the first team by securing 17 appearances, added to the season after where he recorded 15 top-flight appearances.
It was in the Championship that Grealish began to really impose himself as more than a sporadic talent in the ranks at Villa Park, where in the 2016/17 season he contributed to five goals and five assists in 31 league appearances.
Jack Grealish's Premier League record at Aston Villa, via Transfermarkt
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
2013/14
1
0
0
2014/15
17
0
1
2015/16
16
1
0
2019/20
36
8
6
2020/21
26
6
12
The academy graduate’s importance to his boyhood club became paramount, as he continued to be the integral source behind the attacking threat in the squad, amounting to him being named club captain in 2019 following Villa’s promotion back to the Premier League.
In 2021, the lifelong Villan flew the nest to sign for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, ending his playing days in claret and blue with 96 top-flight appearances.
How much was Jack Grealish worth at Aston Villa?
While it was difficult for Villa to see Grealish depart, the club can take credit for the midfielder’s rise to stardom and development through the ranks at Bodymoor Heath.
Back in the summer of 2015 after a partial breakthrough into the first-team squad, the youngster’s expected transfer value (xTV) was recorded by FootballTransfers as being in the region of €4.4m (£4m).
There was a consistent growth in Grealish’s market value whilst at Villa, highlighted by FootballTransfers when revising his xTV during the transfer window periods.
In the January window of 2020, the Englishman’s xTV had risen to €10.9m (£9.4m) which soared to a figure of €30.9m (£26.7m) by that summer, highlighting just how much of a gold mine Villa were sitting on by developing his talents.
The winter window of 2021 saw his xTV hit €50.8m (£44m), following an identical pattern to the year prior as it rose again by the summer to €68m (£58.9m) a month before his move to Manchester.
Dean Smith sold his star player for £100m in 2021, pulling off Villa’s biggest-ever sale and showcasing just how successful the story of a six-year-old hopeful at his boyhood team can be for both player and club.
What is Jack Grealish’s market value now?
It’s expected in the market nowadays for a player to be sold way beyond their expected value, taking into consideration other elements such as contract and as highlighted by Villa, how detrimental losing one player could be to a squad.
Despite missing almost 80 days worth of football due to a shinbone injury during his final campaign with the Villans, Grealish was directly involved in 18 of the club’s 55 Premier League goals, scoring six and assisting 12 in just 26 appearances.
His importance to Smith’s side at the time made his record-breaking deal at the time somewhat palatable for both City and Villa to agree on.
The Midlands giants got a stellar deal for their star, as shown by the funds they acquired as a result of the sale, and when considering the value of the England international today.
As per FootballTransfers, Grealish’s current xTV sits at €47.5m (£41.1m), showcasing the strength of the deal that Villa struck to allow the Bodymoor Heath gem to depart.
Why is he worth that much?
Once lauded as “magnificent” by journalist Josh Bunting, the 28-year-old has grown into life at the Etihad, after struggling in his first season with Guardiola’s side.
Despite winning the Premier League during his debut campaign, all accolades were topped in the 2022/23 season as the winger was an integral part of City’s treble-winning side.
Aside from his 16 goal contributions in all competitions that year in the footballing calendar, Grealish prevailed as one of the top players in his position in Europe, ranking in the top 3% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for his ball-carrying ability.
As per FBref, the Englishman averaged a monstrous 6.25 progressive carries per 90 for City over the past year, reinforcing how dynamic his talent can be when playing at his best level.
Were Villa right to sell Jack Grealish?
As touched upon, it was never going to be easy for Villa to bid farewell to their academy graduate after an association spanning over 19 years, however the sanctioned move for Grealish came at the perfect time for the club.
When Smith sold the then 25-year-old, he transformed the financial outlook of the club, which has arguably triggered the spike in progression under Emery thanks to the available funds to support the squad.
As highlighted this year by football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Villa’s financial situation could have been extremely worrying had they not sold Grealish, with Maguire revealing the club’s day-to-day operating loss of £96m throughout the 2021/22 campaign.
Thanks to the £100m received for the Champions League winner, such woes turned into a £1m profit, portraying how much of an impact the winger made on his boyhood club by simply being a player valued so highly in the market.
Looking at Villa’s current success and financial situation, it was not only inevitable that Grealish would one day leave, but integral that Smith sanctioned his exit, in a move that generated millions for the club.
