Does Sterling see Grealish as a threat at Man City?
Martin Macdonald
- 13 Aug 2021 12:26 BST
- 3 min read
Raheem Sterling has commented on Manchester City's £100 million acquisition of Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, and it seems he doesn't view his compatriot as a threat to his game time at the Etihad.
Grealish has emerged as of the most creative and exciting players in the Premier League over the past couple of seasons and in 2020/21 recorded the third-highest tally of assists in the top-flight despite missing three months of action.
Before the European Championship with England started he was the subject of interest from both Man City and Manchester United, who were looking into the possibility of deal
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His stock has rose during the Euros, too, as he came off the bench to play a role in both goals as England defeated Germany in the first knockout stage, while he featured in the semi-final and final also.
With Man Utd focused on Jadon Sancho, that allowed Pep Guardiola to sanction the big-money deal for Grealish.
The transfer has given Guardiola yet another option in the final third, as in addition to Grealish, he will have Bernardo Silva, Ferran Torres, Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez and Sterling who can play within the front three attacking roles.
Many believed that the signing of Grealish would signal the end for Sterling, who didn't enjoy his most productive campaign in 2020/21, even though he would be England's best performer at the Euros.
His tally of 17 Premier League goal contributions was his worst since 2016/17.
Assists jumped up from one to seven in 2020/21, but his ruthlessness in front of goal reverted back to the naive forward we seen miss plenty of chances for Liverpool and in his early days at City.
Grealish, meanwhile, has only had two full Premier League campaigns under his belt, and recorded 10 assists last season which has only been bettered once by Sterling in his entire career in the top flight, and in a much better team.
There is, of course, the potential for the pair to play together, with Sterling maybe moving into a more central role, and Sterling himself is actually hoping Grealish can boost his goalscoring this season.
What did Sterling say about Grealish?
"They have signed a great player and someone that wants to prove himself at the highest level," he told Sky Sports
"I don't think there is any better club for him to try and do that.
"He is a player that always wants the ball, he gets in good pockets of space and he is creative. It adds another creative player to this team which I am really excited about so hopefully he can add a few more goals to my tally.
"When you add good players to your team it is always a good thing. He is a player I believe can truly have a great career here."
Man City are reportedly keen to tie Sterling down to a new contract, which would end any speculation of a move away from the Premier League champions.
