Arsenal the big winners from BRUTAL Guardiola decision

Robin Bairner
Robin Bairner
  • Updated: 22 Mar 2024 01:05 CDT
  • 4 min read
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal
© IMAGO

Arsenal could be the major benefactors of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s brutal decision to axe the club’s record transfer.

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According to HITC, Guardiola is seriously considering offloading Jack Grealish in the summer, with the Spaniard concerned about the lack of progress in the winger’s game over his 18-month stay at the Etihad Stadium to date.

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Signed from Aston Villa for €117.5 million, Grealish is the most expensive player in Man City’s history. He is also one who is now on the periphery of the squad.

The 28-year-old has played only 27 times this season across all competitions and has notably made only seven Premier League starts. He has scored three goals and created two assists in these outings.

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Jack Grealish, Man City
© IMAGO - Jack Grealish, Man City

What next for Grealish?

Arsenal are the side that can most benefit from Guardiola’s decision to put Grealish on the transfer market.

Data analytics firm SciSports’ Career Advice tool points to the Emirates as being an excellent destination for the England international.

Grealish would have the chance to develop his game under Arteta while the playing style and formation of the Gunners suit him.

These aspects combined give Arsenal a Club Fit score of 76 for Grealish, which is the best in the Premier League away from City.

Grealish's best transfer options (SciSports)

ClubClub FitDevelopmentPlaying TimeStyleFormation
Real Madrid89*****************
Inter77************
Napoli77***************
Arsenal76**************
Aston Villa73***********

The Gunners only rank fourth in terms of Grealish’s ideal options. Real Madrid come out on top, but with Kylian Mbappe destined for Los Blancos, that is a move he can forget. Inter and Napoli also rank well, yet stumping up the kind of money required to sign the winger seems unfeasible.

That leaves Arsenal, a team currently in the market for an additional winger, as the best option out there for Grealish.

Transfer links between the Gunners and Man City are strong in recent seasons. Both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been offloaded by Guardiola to his old protegee Mikel Arteta at the Emirates.

With these two stars having successfully made the transition between the two clubs, Grealish could complete a hat-trick for Arsenal.

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