Jack Grealish to become fourth former Aston Villa player to achieve Everton feat
Aston Villa were linked with a move for former superstar Jack Grealish, but he is now headed elsewhere.
Grealish left Aston Villa for a British-record fee in 2021, joining Manchester City for around £100 million, but it has not worked out for him there.
The 29-year-old is now joining Everton on loan, as he will remain in the Premier League but will get a fresh start elsewhere.
The midfielder’s move to David Moyes’ side may frustrate some Villa fans who may have been keen on seeing Grealish return, but one noticeable trend has now continued.
Aston Villa captains to have ended up at Everton
Grealish was not the first Aston Villa captain to push for a Villa Park exit, and he is not even the first to end up joining Everton with a stop in between at Manchester City.
Gareth Barry became an iconic player for Villa over the years, before the reliable midfielder joined Man City, but after a struggle for gametime, the former Villa captain moved to Everton, where he became a key player despite his older age.
Fabian Delph followed a similar career path. Despite signing a new contract as Villa captain, Delph joined Man City in the summer of 2015.
| Premier League Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2019/20 | 36 | 8 | 6 |
| 2020/21 | 26 | 6 | 12 |
The England international never quite settled, and he then moved to Everton, where he was not a popular figure.
- Delph won several league titles, but was used as a left-back rather than in his natural midfield position.
Ashley Young also captained Villa before featuring for Everton, although he did not have a stint at Man City in between.
Grealish will become the fourth player to follow the pipeline of being Villa captain, and ending up at Everton, in what is a surprising trend.
Why do Villa captains end up at Everton?
Over the years, Everton have often targeted older players beyond their best years, who can make a short-term impact and bring leadership to the team.
Taking rejects from Man City has helped them before, with Barry particularly impressive after joining Everton as a veteran.
While there appears to be a trend with this move, it may just be a coincidence that Grealish is following the same path as Delph, with the former costing City a huge fee and winning the treble, as one of the most successful players to come out of the Villa academy.
Sign up for the Villa News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Aston Villa news sent straight to your phone.