Agbonlahor has inside info on Jack Grealish amid Aston Villa return speculation
Jack Grealish will soon lock horns with Aston Villa once again as they take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium next week.
Villa have a tough few days coming up as they look to recover from Champions League heartache from Paris Saint-Germain, first taking on in-form Newcastle United (19 April) in a massive contest in terms of qualification for Europe’s top table.
The City trip beckons next Tuesday (22 April), with Grealish – in and out of Pep Guardiola’s team – hoping to play a significant part.
Gabby Agbonlahor reveals Grealish future latest
The discourse on Grealish’s future took off again on Thursday morning (17 April), when Natalie Pike, Alan Brazil and Agbonlahor were discussing Aston Villa.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (17 April, 06:58), Agbonlahor hinted he knows something about Grealish’s future but revealed he would potentially opt to stay at Man City beyond this summer.
Grealish, who left Villa Park to make the £100million move north in 2021, has been mooted for a switch back to Unai Emery’s squad, having struggled for consistent game time under Guardiola even despite the hefty transfer fee.
There is a chance Villa even beat City to qualifying for the Champions League this season, as Grealish’s side suffer a hangover from their ruthless four-year streak of scooping the Premier League title.
The two may also meet in the FA Cup final this season – with the sides separated in the semi-finals as the Villans take on Crystal Palace, as the 2023 treble winners battle with Nottingham Forest later this month.
City-supporting Pike said of Grealish: “We all absolutely love Jack for the person that he is. But I’d just love to see that ‘treble season’ Jack, sometimes I wish he’d keep his head down and focus on his football.”
Brazil added: “He’s got to play,” before admitting Agbonlahor would not reveal any possible inside information he could have.
Agbonlahor then said: “It’s a big decision in the summer, isn’t it. The World Cup’s next year – you want a season of playing football… look, he’s not going to want to leave, he’ll want to stay at Manchester City and fight for his place.”
Aston Villa likelier to look elsewhere than punt for Grealish return
Aston Villa fans are split on their opinions on local lad Grealish – some believe he did what was right for his career; others feel he has burnt his claret and blue bridges and can’t justify the lack of regular match action he receives.
It’s true of Grealish that he would walk into most starting XIs in the Premier League, which could bolster his chance of an England recall for the World Cup under Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel first up opted for a squad sprinkled with Villa Park talent, as Marcus Rashford earned a return to the Three Lions, joined by Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa.
| Jack Grealish – 2024-25 | Total |
| Appearances | 19 |
| Starts | 7 |
| Minutes played | 714 |
| Named on bench | 20 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
Grealish does seem content at City despite his sporadic appearances, given the five major English and European trophies he has won. The Club World Cup makes it six, and some may include the Super Cup for seven.
Villa are therefore likelier to pursue other options this summer, the calibre of whom will depend on which European competition they find themselves competing in next season.