Grealish warning
Jack Grealish’s price tag will only have shot up further after his ‘first class’ performances in a struggling Aston Villa side this season.
That’s the view of former Arsenal player and pundit Charlie Nicholas, who has named Grealish in his Premier League team of the season despite Villa’s relegation battle, and he claims that any interested parties in the summer transfer window will have to shell out more than they otherwise would have done if they’d moved for Grealish earlier.
Nicholas believes that Grealish has had a better season on an individual level than James Maddison, despite Leicester City sitting up in third place and planning a Champions League campaign.
Such form means that the likes of Manchester United must be prepared to fork out a substantial amount of money if they hope to prise Grealish away from his boyhood club.
OGS Grealish message
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has highlighted the importance of Premier League players sticking to their messages during the coronavirus pandemic.
Elite football in the UK has been suspended indefinitely, with the country in lockdown in an attempt to stem the virus that is wreaking havoc across the world. That has in turn, led to both the sport and those playing it to come under the spotlight in recent weeks.
Manchester United have been extensively linked with a move for Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish, with claims he is at the top of Solskjaer’s wishlist.
Grealish’s reputation has taken a hit since football was paused, with the Villa talisman going against his message of staying at home.
He came in for criticism at the end of March, after pictures emerged of him in Dickens Heath, just hours after telling his social media followers to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
And Grealish isn’t the only player to come under fire, with former Villa loaneeKyle Walker facing an investigation after allegedly hosting a party involving two sex workers earlier this week.
And Solskjaer has taken aim at players who flout their own advice in a message about the wider responsibilities they have.
Club forced to clarify claims season could be 'cancelled'
Watford have distanced themselves from claims that the Premier League is set to void the season imminently.
The Hornets, who are alongside Aston Villa in the battle against the drop, are owned by Gino Pozzo, while his father Giampaolo owns the Serie A outfit.
They were forced to clarify their position after Udinese director Pierpaolo Marino suggested England’s top flight could be ready to issue a statement about cancelling the season.
He told Sportitalia: “The Belgian Federation has already sanctioned the end of their league, despite the threats of sanctions from UEFA.
“In England, the Premier League is about to release a similar statement, because the situation there is becoming very, very serious. I frankly just hope we can enjoy football again after the coronavirus.
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes, we need to get out of this danger zone. I am worried for the next seasons, not the old one.”
Last week, Aston Villa, along with their 19 Premier League rivals, agreed to push back the original return date of April 30, as the sport continues to come to terms with the coronavirus pandemic.
New kit latest
Kappa has promised Aston Villa fans there will be no repeat of the well-publicised issues with kits for forthcoming seasons.
Villa are coming towards the end of their first year in an agreement with the Italian sportswear giants that lasts until 2022.
While the home and away strips for this season - both featuring claret and blue colours - were well-received by fans, the design of the third kit didn't strike a similar chord with supporters. In addition, quality and sizing issues affected all three strips since they were launched.
The questions were put to Kappa in last month's Fan Consultation Group meeting, the details of which were published on the Villa Trust website.
"Kappa was very apologetic about the issues fans experienced with the kit quality control and rightly so," wrote the Trust in a summary of what was said.
"They have given us and the club assurances that this will not happen again. Truth be told, they couldn’t cope with the phenomenal demand – 100k+ shirt sales. The plans were based on another season in the Championship and promotion shattered those."
It was revealed that the design process for Villa's kit for next season began as far back as 12 months ago, with the full process taking around 15 months to finish. The current home and away kits were revealed in July.
Basic planning for the 2021/22 strip is also underway.
Bold claim
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United can 'exploit' the transfer market after the coronavirus outbreak with Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish on their shortlist.
Grealish is wanted at Old Trafford having taken his game to a new level in the Premier League this season.
His haul of seven league goals and six assists have been vital to Villa's fight against relegation - and represent a better record than any of his England midfield rivals.
The transfer market has been plunged into uncertainty due to the financial hit of the pandemic but Solskjaer wants United to use the situation to their advantage.
"Football is going to get back to normality at one point, and it's very important we're ready when that happens,” the United boss told Sky Sports.
"We want to be the best at everything, and of course now is a chance to spend more time, you discuss players, discuss plans, we've evaluated what we need, of course with the coaching staff we've looked at games, evaluated games, discussing on video calls like this.
"Then, the market, who knows how the market is going to react to this? Who knows which clubs need to sell players? There might be just a situation there where you can exploit, and I know that we at Man United we are one of the biggest, and the biggest, financially well-off.
"I'm sure we are capable, when we get back to normality, that we can do the business that we want to."
