Andy Gray thinks Aston Villa star Jack Grealish is better than any of Liverpool’s midfielders…
So that includes world-class Fabinho, captain Jordan Henderson, brilliant and consistent Gini Wijnaldum, potential genius Naby Keita, evergreen James Milner and dynamo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The former Everton striker and disgraced Sky Sports pundit now works for beIN Sports and made the claim at the weekend, despite Grealish’s side being on the end of a 6-1 home pummelling to Manchester City.
The Englishman is enjoying a good season, and will surely depart Villa if they’re relegated – but for Gray to make such strong claims about players who are on 20 wins from 21 in the Premier League and won the Champions League last season – is outlandish at best and nonsensical at worst.
“I know he’s a Villa fan, his family are all Villa fans, he loves the club and he loves being captain,” Gray told Bein Sports. “But Jack’s 24 now and I think there is a decision coming at the end of this season. And I hate to say it, but I don’t think he’ll be there in August.
“If I was a coach of any of the top-six, and I include Liverpool in this, he would make the team better. He is, in my opinion, better than any of Liverpool’s midfield players.
“I think is better than Keita. I think he’s better than Wijnaldum. I think he’d get into the City side. He’s much better than Foden. I just think he’s that good.”
Grealish would add strength to Jurgen Klopp’s midfield options, but Gray’s comments are way exaggerated.
We’d argue that Jurgen Klopp doesn’t have room for a player in his side to have a free reign, and that his midfielders must be tactically exceptional and functional, so that our fullbacks can bomb forward and our forwards can stay high.
Grealish is a nice footballer, but we can’t see him being on our radar any time soon. Perhaps if Villa are relegated, but not otherwise.