Jack Grealish officially leaves Aston Villa

Aston Villa announced on Thursday evening that captain Jack Grealish officially departed the club to join Premier League champions Manchester City in a £100 million move.

Grealish’s exit comes after months of transfer speculation fueled by City’s reported interest in the England No. 7. The attacking midfielder spent 19 years at Villa.

In an address to supporters on Twitter, Aston Villa’s chief executive Christian Purslow said that the club made a gentlemen’s agreement with Grealish when he signed a new contract last summer that allowed him to leave if a £100 million bid was made by a Champions League club.

Purslow also said that the club made it clear to Grealish that they wanted to keep him, but the player wanted Champions League football immediately and opted for the switch.

After City made the announcement official, Grealish took to social media to thank the Aston Villa faithful. See the post below.

Since 2013/14, Grealish made 222 league appearances for Aston Villa in the Premier League and Championship scoring 34 times. His goal in a 1-1 draw with West Ham on the final day of the 2019/20 season kept the club in the Premier League. Villa went on to register an 11th-place finish in 2020/21.

Claret Villans will have more on the legacy of Jack Grealish at Aston Villa next week. Until then, try not to cry your eyeballs out watching the video below.