Case made for former hero’s return but would it make sense for Villa?

It’s a contentious talking point since his departure in the summer of 2021, but discussion over a potential Aston Villa return for Jack Grealish appears to be gaining traction.

With the 29-year-old set to be left out of Manchester City’s squad for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, as per BBC Sport, it has led to question marks being raised over his future at the club.

READ MORE: Why smart Villa move will continue to help progression under Emery

Despite his struggles for playing time this past season, the English international is still likely to be a player in demand if he is available on the transfer market this summer, and an intriguing case has been made for him to return to Villa Park.

As per The Telegraph’s Matt Law, he makes the point that Grealish’s next move – albeit complicated in terms of materialising due to the financial aspects – is a ‘no-brainer’ in that a return to Villa would help revive his career after seeing it stall at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola.

While that’s a fair point in isolation from the player’s perspective, would it make sense for Villa?

Grealish contributed 32 goals and 43 assists in 213 appearances for us, and notably, helped us secure promotion back to the Premier League and survival in the top flight to help lay the foundations for what has since followed under Unai Emery.

In what could prove to be his final season at Man City, he managed just three goals and five assists in 32 outings, with many critics also directing their frustration at Guardiola for the way in which he has changed his game and perhaps limited his influence. That said, with the trophy haul they’ve had enjoyed while working together, it hasn’t turned out too badly.

The former Villa hero – with former being the operative word – received what some interpreted as a hostile reaction when he returned to Villa Park last December. Having been there that night, ‘Villa til I die’ ringing around the stadium was actually quite a measured and suitable approach from the supporters, as it wasn’t necessarily an abusive chant towards Grealish, but merely a reminder to him that we know where our loyalties will always lie.

Some will argue that the relationship is beyond repair and would simply rule out a return emphatically given what transpired around the time of his exit and since.

However, fresh off a season in which we saw Emery revitalise Marcus Rashford after a difficult time at Manchester United, would the Villa boss be the ideal man to help Grealish rediscover what made him so great with us the first time round?

Yes, the financial aspects are a problem, as even if it were a loan agreement, Villa are looking to dramatically reduce our wage bill this summer and Grealish’s salary certainly won’t help with that.

Nevertheless, take out the finances and what has happened in the past, and perhaps even the sentimental value of it if there are positive feelings remaining for you, if this comes down to whether or not Emery could get Grealish back to his best in a position that we likely need to strengthen ahead of next season after Rashford’s departure and can help him play a crucial role in helping us achieve our objectives moving forward, would you take him back?

There is a long way to go in this transfer window, and countless targets will be touted as potential Villa signings. There is nothing at this stage to suggest that Grealish is one of them, but as soon as reports of his likely exit from City began to emerge, it was inevitable that Villa would be linked. It might be a great move for him to get his career back on track, but it absolutely would have to be the right decision for us too, and that will be on Emery and Monchi to decide if he even fits the bill of what we’re after this summer.

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