My tuppence worth on this 'Grealish to City' stuff:
I (kind of) like him: he is clearly our best player at the moment, but I think he is a twat though for his off-field shit, especially during lockdown.
Personally, I don't actually think he will go to Manchester City. Whether he has a release clause in the 5-year contract he signed so recently, the ink is barely dry, I have no idea. But his love for Villa, and being appointed the captain, is well-documented and beyond question.
He strikes me as being (footballer stereotype) a little bit thick, but even he can't fail to see the potential here at the moment: year-on-year improvement, spending big, big money on the likes of Martinez, Watkins and this window Buendia. We could (and should) be on the cusp of something pretty special, and more importantly, sustained.
My claret-and-blue tinted specs make me think he'd be an utter idiot to leave right now. The squad is improving, the positivity around the club is there for all to see and the return of fans to Villa Park in that context will be something else.
But, if he does decide to leave, for "footballing reasons/winning trophies/working with Guardiola" or otherwise (ie a massive pay rise), the he can fuck right off. He and City would be welcome to their tawdry arrangement. He's hardly a Villa legend in my book (nowhere near in the same league as many of the players I have seen down B6 in my lifetime).
When I try and imagine how I might feel if he actually DID go, I can honestly, hand-on-heart, say that the sense of devastation I felt when Yorke, Barry or Milner were sold would outstrip any feelings/misgivings I might have if Grealish bails out.
As said, just my tuppence worth. If he stays, great, good on him and probably my respect and admiration for him would go up.I could really get behind that kind of loyalty and dedication to/belief in the NSWE 'project' But if he goes, he goes and he can fuck off.
No one is bigger than the club and I will still be there cheering the boys on, laughing at 'Prize Where It Lies', engaging in some dubious half-time chit-chats and 'enjoying' the agony and ecstasy of being an Aston Villa supporter.