Player Review: Jack Grealish

Player Review: Jack Grealish

Profile:

Name: Jack Grealish
Club: Aston Villa (Captain)
Nationality: English (0 Caps)
Date of Birth: 10/09/1995 (24)
Height: 5ft 8in
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Left Winger

Grealish made his Aston Villa debut at the age of 18 after a succesful loan spell with League 1 Notts County. He has always looked like a talented footballer, but the early stages of his career were marred with controversy surrounding his personal life. Since then, he has matured and improved as a player, becoming one of the Premier League's top creative midfielders.

Grealish began his senior career in League 1 for Notts County, registering 5 goals and 7 assists as an 18 year old. He then played 2 seasons in the Premier League, playing around 800 minutes in each, however they were wholly unsuccessful. Villa were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2015/16 season, with Grealish making 16 appearances, all of them losses. This, paired with his off field lifestyle, did not give fans a positive opinion of Grealish. In 2016, aged 21, he was fined by his club for attending an all night party in Birmingham. During his time in the Championship, Grealish developed in to a more consistent performer while gaining more senior minutes. He also became Villa's club captain, showing the maturity he has developed and the faith placed in him by the club.

Over the past 2 seasons, Grealish has really showed his class. Firstly leading Aston Villa to promotion via the playoffs last season and now shining in the Premier League. In Villa's promotion campaign, Grealish registered 6 goals and 8 assists (2 coming during the play-offs). He has carried his form in to this season, scoring 7 and assisting 6. These stats are impressive, ranking him joint 11th for assists and 25th for goals. However, they do not give a full picture of Grealish's standout season. Villa have only scored 34 goals, so Grealish has contributed to 38% of them. He also impresses in some other underlying statistics such as Key Passes and the amount he is fouled.

This graph shows the amount that Jack Grealish has been fouled per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. 

*Europe's top 5 leagues considered the Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A.
(Statistics taken 21st April - Before resumption of League seasons)

As shown in the graph above, Grealish is the most fouled player in Europe. This is due to his ability to take on a man. He is able to win a foul, which gives his team a good opportunity to get a ball in to the box and possibily score.

Within Europes top 5 leagues, he also ranks 8th for key passes. A key pass is 'the final pass leading to a shot at goal by a teammate.' (WhoScored). This shows just how creative he has been in the final third. Only 8 of these passes my have resulted in a goal, but that is a result of his teammates finishing ability, not his ability to create chances. He is only beaten in this stat by some great players who are playing in better teams than Villa. I have also included El Ghazi and Trezeguet on this graph, who are Villa's 2nd and 3rd highest scorers on key pass numbers. This shows how far ahead of them Grealish is and demonstrates how their attack is centred around him creating chances.

(Statistics taken 21st April - before resumption of League seasons)

As the statistics show, Grealish has been in fine form during the 2019-20 season. So where would he fit in if he was to make a move?

This season he has been deployed as an attacking midfielder but also on the left hand side of the attack. Allowing him to cut inside on to his stronger right foot.

This is Grealish against Burnley. In this image he has positioned himself on the left hand side of the pitch, and the manner he has angled his body allows him to either dribble inside and shoot or play a ball to the overlapping player. In this case he plays the pass out to Hourihane, who crosses the ball resulting in a goal which was disallowed by VAR. Although Grealish does not directly provide the assist for this goal, his position is crucial to Villa's build up as opposition players gravitate towards him.

In the same match, Grealish also finds himself down the centre of the pitch, in a shooting position. This is a perfect example of how he can drift inside from the left to find goal scoring chances. In this position the shot was blocked and Villa won a corner.

Which club would Jack Grealish fit best?

He has been highly linked to a move away from Villa Park, with even Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane saying that 'it's only a matter of time' before the Englishman leaves the club. The main link has been to Manchester United, but with the addition of Bruno Fernandes as an attacking presence, and already having Martial, Rashford and James to play off the left, a left hand sided attacking midfielder may not be United's main objective in the window. Perhaps opting for a right sided player instead. He also may not be quite ready or be a suitable fit for Manchester City or Liverpool and as Chelsea have already sealed the transfer of Hakim Ziyech, the primary options seem to be Arsenal or Spurs.

Arsenal

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have been playing in a 4-2-3-1 and typically play Aubameyang out on the left with Mesut Ozil as the attacking midfielder. This season, Arsenal have struggled to create chances. They rank 14th in the league for 'Shot Creating Actions,' which is 'the two offensive actions directly leading to a shot, such as passes, dribbles and drawing fouls.' (fbref.com & StatsBomb). Aston Villa rank 7th in this metric, with Jack Grealish the 4th highest shot creator in the league (Per90). Therefore he would be perfect to help Arsenal create more shots and improve their league position next season. For comparison, Mesut Ozil ranks 13th. Grealish could provide a great impetus on the left hand side of the 3, allowing for Aubameyang to play through the middle, or down the middle as an Ozil replacement. 

Spurs

Losing Christian Eriksen has left a hole that needs filling in Tottenham's attack. With Kane's recurring injury problems, Heung Min Son often has to deputise up front and as a result vacate his position on the left hand side. Dele Alli seems an important part of Mourinho's side, however hasn't been at his best recently. Jack Grealish could slot in nicely on the left or down the middle of a 4-2-3-1. Spurs have been missing attacking depth and Grealish is perfect to fill 2 positions in Jose Mourinho's team. Tottenham rank 8th in the league for Shot Creating Actions, 1 place behind Villa, so Grealish would also help them create more chances for Harry Kane and Heung Min Son to finish.

In the current climate, nobody really knows when or how the transfer window will open or the funds that Premier League teams will have to spend or sell. As Villa's key asset, they may have a large asking price on Grealish's head and teams like Arsenal or Spurs may not have that kind of money to spend. Grealish may end up staying another year at Villa park, or Manchester United may still be tempted despite not really requiring depth in that position.