Arsenal handed perfect chance to sign Premier League’s most UNDERRATED player

Robin Bairner

• 5 Mar 2025 19:00 GMT
• 10 min read

Analysis

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side are crying out for more offensive power, and though the Gunners typically look to young up-and-coming stars to provide value for money in the transfer market, a more established name deserves to be considered.

Jack Grealish is set to be pushed out the door by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola this summer, the Daily Mail reports.

The 29-year-old arrived for a club-record €117.5 million from Aston Villa but failed to live up to that extraordinary billing at the Etihad Stadium. At a more reasonable price, though, the England international could be just what Arsenal need.

Current ETV

Jack Grealish

F, M (L)

Man City

Jack Grealish

F, M (L)

Man City

€50.8M

ETV Range

€45.7M - €55.9M

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Jack Grealish: A forgotten superstar

Grealish has struggled to settle at Man City and provide anything like his best level. He has 16 goals and 23 assists for the club in over 150 appearances, which is well below Guardiola’s expectations for the winger, who had arrived as a potential game breaker.

His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has dropped from a high of €88.7m to €50.3m, yet that’s not a bad price to pay for a player who has quietly been one of the best-performing attackers in the Premier League this season.

At least, that’s according to data analytics experts SciSports, which put Grealish fourth in terms of performances by wingers. Man City club-mates Savinho and Jeremy Doku stand clear of him along with Arsenal’s injured star Bukayo Saka.

Grealish vs Premier League wingers: Overall performance 2024/25

Equally, the firm believes that Arsenal is a strong fit for the player. The Gunners get a Club Fit score of 76. This is based around a variety of factors, including potential development, playing time, style and formation.

Napoli (80) and Bayern Munich (78) score higher, but Arsenal are the leading Premier League option.

Grealish, meanwhile, possesses the attributes that Arteta values in a winger. He is a creative force who at his best is a monster at foul winning. Set-pieces, of course, are an area of play that Arsenal love.

Questions to answer

Defensively, he is strong, too. He excels in counter control and ranks well in terms of transition forcing, which is essentially how well he wins possession back high up the field.

There are, however, three big questions over his suitability for Arsenal.

Can he become decisive?

Grealish has always had an issue translating his good work into goals and assists. His crossing is ranked among the poorest in the Premier League among wingers, and that could be an issue for Arteta should he land the physical centre-forward he craves.

In the 2020/21 season with Aston Villa, he scored six and created 10 Premier League goals. This is the level Arsenal would need him to be at. If he can rediscover this level, he would undoubtedly be an asset.

The age issue

Grealish’s profile isn’t one that Arsenal typically chase. The Gunners have, like many of their rivals, targeted younger players with sell-on value. He is unlikely to provide that.

But Arteta has shown a willingness to buy older when the opportunity has arisen: Leandro Trossard and Jorginho are two particular examples. With the latter set to leave in the summer, perhaps Grealish could step up to become a senior figure.

Price

Crucial to any deal is the transfer fee. Grealish is under contract until 2027 so City are under no pressure to sell this summer, particularly to an established title rival.

There is undoubtedly an element of risk to this deal, so the Gunners need to make sure they’re not overpaying.

Around the €40-50m mark, though, and Grealish begins to look a shrewd piece of business to strengthen an area where a lack of cover has cost them.