It is something of a cautionary tale for anyone to leave a club in pursuit of a perceived bigger opportunity. Take Jack Grealish, for instance; he could have remained at Villa and truly cemented himself as an all-time club great, potentially.
Instead, he left for Manchester City for a record fee and quickly fizzled out from Pep Guardiola's rotation. Now, with a loan move to Everton, the England international is hoping to resurrect his career. First and foremost, however, the former Villan spoke on what the more immediate objective is for himself.
As shared by the VSports Team on X, Grealish feels that he has not quite enjoyed his time on the pitch compared to when he was in B6. To Grealish's credit, the player accepts all responsibility and mentioned how this was not anyone else's fault. It is known, though, that the machine that can be Guardiola's system can suck the life and energy out of someone, particularly if they are not seeing the regular playing time that they are used to.
Admirable from former Aston Villa player
While it is noble for Grealish to not cast any blame on City, it cannot be helped but to wonder what could have been possible for Villa and the player had he remained. It can, of course, be easy in hindsight to say that Grealish took an unnecessary risk in his career. With City, however, this is something of a theme. Go there, and a good player becomes one of many who is then soon replaced by the next shiny object on the market.
At Villa and under Unai Emery, players are cherished and valued. Look at how things are unfolding now. The club is doing everything it can to keep everyone in the claret and blue. Yes, a lot of that has to do with the nature of the financial limitations. It is safe to assume, though, that Villa would still be making a concerted effort to keep talent at the club even if it were not for those factors.