da brwin： Jack Grealish has been in exceptional form this season as Aston Villa prepare to take on Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
On the chalkboard
da spicy bet： The Villa midfielder has been leading the club’s charge towards survival, with the club currently 17th, one point clear of West Ham United, who sit 18th.
Of course, his story could have been remarkably different; Spurs made a bid for Grealish in 2018 but were unable to get a deal over the line.
Thus far this season, he has scored seven goals in 23 appearances in the Premier League, while also registering five assists.
His stats this season, to put it simply, are exceptional.
Per WhoScored, has averaged 2.2 shots per game, 2.7 key passes, 2.4 dribbles, and is fouled 4.8 times per game. He also has a passing accuracy of 85%, impressive for a player who so usually occupies positions in the final third of the pitch.
Grealish also averages 1.1 tackles along with 0.5 interceptions.
This is a player who is clearly exceptionally talented but he is also the key man in that Villa squad; perhaps his numbers wouldn’t be so impressive if he had decided to move to Spurs.
No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?
Green with envy
Daniel Levy is surely kicking himself.
Sources have confirmed to Football FanCast that the club had the opportunity to buy Grealish due to uncertainty surrounding their financial situation.
There was a feeling at Spurs that if an acceptable bid was tabled, Villa would have had no choice but to accept it.
Instead, they dallied, and a takeover was completed, meaning Villa had the financial clout to reject the offer that was tabled by chairman Levy.
At this stage, though, it has become clear that Grealish is absolutely ready to take the step up to a genuinely elite club.
He is surely a leading contender to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, and has been linked with a massive move to Manchester United.
Spurs had the opportunity to bring him in but took too long and let him slip through their fingers; Grealish could well dent their top-four hopes this weekend, too.
Meanwhile, Spurs could have signed this striker in January!