Pep Guardiola is often outspoken in press conferences, and something he said at the start of the year has since gotten talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan riled up.
Man City are definitely a talking point right now, and a very intriguing one at that. After claiming a fourth-straight Premier League title last season, the Cityzens are already down and out in both the Champions League, and realistically, the Premier League too.
Last time out in the league, Man City beat Spurs 1-0 but it didn’t close what is currently a 20-point gap to leaders Liverpool in the table, with Pep Guardiola seemingly playing for just the FA Cup this season.
The summer ahead promises change at the Etihad. And for City’s £100million man Jack Grealish, the summer ahead promises uncertainty, with several reports and rumours that the 29-year-old is set to be on the move.
Simon Jordan questions Pep Guardiola’s comments on Jack Grealish from January
Discussing the attacker’s current predicament at City, talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan has questioned whether Guardiola was right to comment about Grealish’s form at the start of the year, when the City boss said he wanted the ‘treble’ season Grealish back.
Guardiola said in January: “Do I want the Jack that won the treble? Of course, I do, but I have to be honest with myself. Players have to fight. If anyone thinks it’s unfair, fine, but they need to show me every day, every week, and every month that they deserve to play in that position.”
And Jordan has now had this to say on the Outspoken Podcast on Spotify: “I don’t think he’s a £100million footballer. Somebody paid a £100million for him. I don’t think Pep Guardiola possibly needed to say the things that he said about him two or three months ago, but perhaps they’re pressed on where Jack Grealish is.
“I think Jack Grealish has morphed as a player at times, from the player that was a maverick player, Aston Villa, that was centre of attention to what I saw a player a couple of years ago that was really a team player. Do I think it’s a problem for him? No, I don’t think so.”
In the Premier League this season, Grealish has featured 16 times without scoring, boasting just one assist to his name. Whereas the season where City won the treble, the 2022/23 season with a Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup title to their name, Grealish scored five and assisted seven in 28 Premier League games.
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How Jack Grealish feels about leaving Manchester City this summer
There’s been a lot of speculation that Man City are set for a dramatic summer rebuild and that the likes of Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, and John Stones among others are up for sale.
For Grealish, City would surely want to recoup whatever they can of the £100million they paid for him in 2021, given what’s admittedly been a very mixed spell at the Etihad for the England international, or at least since 2023.
And emerging reports that Grealish is open to leaving Man City might prompt the club and player to come to some kind of agreement which sees him leave the club this summer, with AC Milan among those reportedly interested.
What comes of Grealish in the summer and next season seems very uncertain right now. But it’s starting to look more and more likely that he won’t be playing for City, with both parties seemingly needing to move on to new chapters.
City return to action against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
