Aston Villa Jack Grealish endeared himself to supporters after handling speculation about his future in a mature fashion. Rather than releasing soundbites about his ambition to play in the Premier League and Champions League while loosely committing his future to his existing club, he kept out of the limelight and has since done his talking on the pitch.
Despite some tabloids suggestion the opposite, the 22-year-old has been focused on the start of the new season with Villa and wasn’t entertaining the idea of a transfer. Jack’s own brother spoke out on social media to deny the rumours still linking him with Tottenham, insisting he was staying at Villa Park. And after that news was confirmed, Grealish shared his most-liked tweet:
Let’s get to work. #AVFC ❤️💙⚽️ pic.twitter.com/excNZdSVOb
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) August 9, 2018
After impressing in Villa’s opening game victory against Hull City days previously, the midfielder reaffirmed his love for the club in a tweet. But the latest one mean a lot to supporters given many were divided on whether or not he wanted to stay. There were rumours he was furious with Villa for not letting him leave and that he was considering taking action to push through a late move. That turned out to be wildly inaccurate and Grealish has instead been doing his talking on the football pitch.
The England u21 international was outstanding against Hull City on August 6, making one assist, completing 95% of his passes, drawing seven fouls and making more interceptions (2) than his teammates. He followed up a top performance with another terrific showing against Wigan Athletic on Saturday, creating six chances, having more touches (70) than any teammate and making five dribbles. He’s clearly not let the speculation get to him and relishes being Villa’s golden boy. Grealish will be key to Bruce taking the club up this season.
New deal on the table
The latest news is that Grealish could be signing a new deal with Villa to take his contract past 2020. The 22-year-old has already committed his future to the club, but now he has the chance to cement his loyalty. Fans already see him as a legend despite his young age, but a new contract would propel him to new heights.
Villa manager Steve Bruce admitted he feared losing the playmaker, but it looks like he’s set to stay for at least another season. Whether or not Tottenham Hotspur return for the midfielder remains to be seen, but fans won’t be scared of losing him anymore.