The future of one of Manchester City’s most polarising players appears on the agenda

The future of one of Manchester City’s most polarising players has been on the agenda in recent days. Jack Grealish has been linked with a summer move in recent days. Simon Phillips has reported via his exclusive Substack page that Chelsea is considering a summer move for Jack Grealish. But could Manchester City sell the winger? It doesn’t appear a realistic possibility on closer inspection.

There is no doubt that Jack Grealish is one of Manchester City’s most polarising players. His performances divide opinion at times. The contribution of Grealish to Manchester City is immense. When fully fit, he is crucial to the way Manchester City plays. Pep Guardiola prefers his team to control games, and this is where Grealish has a vital role to play. He was a key component of City’s treble success last season. Without him, the world champions may not have scaled the heights they did a season ago.

This season, Grealish hasn’t hit the same heights as a season ago. Injuries and a drop in form saw the England international start this season slowly. But of late, he has returned to the form seen from the winger last season. At his best, he remains an integral piece of Pep Guardiola’s side.

The influence of Jack Grealish on Manchester City can not be measured in statistics.

But where Grealish divides opinion is his contributions to the world champions through goals and assists. This season has seen Grealish add 3 goals and 3 assists in 35 appearances in all competitions this season. What the statistics don’t show is the impact Grealish makes to City’s play. He is often the player that provides the key ball before an assist in City’s build-up. This was evident in City’s 4-2 win over Crystal Palace in early April, where Grealish had a part to play in all 4 of City’s goals. In an era where statistics are regarded as the be all metric of a players contribution, Grealish’s performances aren’t given the kudos they deserve due to this obsession.

While Chelsea is reported to be interested in signing Jack Grealish, it doesn’t appear that Manchester City would sell the winger this summer. Despite not being at his best, this campaign Grealish is still an important piece of the Manchester City puzzle. If Grealish did seek a move this summer, that would obviously change the equation. But as it stands, one of Manchester City’s most polarising players does appear to continue to have a key role to play for the world champions.