Manchester City went into the first international break of the 2024/25 campaign at the top of the Premier League table with three wins in three matches.
The Citizens secured wins Chelsea, Ipswich Town, and West Ham United to maintain a perfect start to the season, with Erling Haaland scoring hat-tricks against the Tractor Boys and The Hammers.
Pep Guardiola's side have won the last four Premier League titles and are on the hunt for a fifth, whilst also looking to compete in all competitions.
They were knocked out of the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Champions League in the 2023/24 campaign, which meant that the league title was the only major honour won last term.
City need to have quality strength in depth to compete on all fronts, due to the rotation needed and injuries caused by playing in multiple competitions, and one player who needs to step up is Jack Grealish.
The England international was d eployed in a number ten role and, as you can see in the clip above, scored against Ireland for Lee Carsley and the Three Lions on Saturday, after a difficult period at The Etihad. Jack Grealish's struggles with Manchester City
Grealish has started one of the club's three Premier League matches so far this season, featuring in two of them, and did not contribute with a goal, assist, or 'big chance' created.
The 28-year-old star also ended the 2023/24 campaign as an unused substitute in the last three games, including the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
Signed from Aston Villa for a whopping £100m in the summer of 2021, the versatile midfielder, who can play out wide or in the middle, has not been totally convincing for the Premier League giants.
Appearances
20
Starts
10
Goals
3
Assists
1
Key passes per game
1.4
Dribbles per game
0.9
As you can see in the table above, Grealish struggled for game time last season and failed to contribute with much in the way of quality in the final third, with four goal involvements in 20 appearances in the top-flight.
Since his move to The Etihad, the England international has contributed with 14 goals and 18 assists in 127 outings in all competitions for the club.
The £100m-rated forward has not hit double figures for goals or assists in a single Premier League season with the Citizens in his three campaigns to date.
Ultimately, City have not got value for money on the £100m they spent to sign him from Aston Villa over three years ago, as Grealish has not made a consistent impact in the final third as either a scorer or a creator of goals.
He has also only started 11 league games since the start of last season, which suggests that Guardiola believes he has better options on the flank and in midfield.
The City boss could have had another superior alternative to Grealish if the club had not fumbled talented youngster Jamie Bynoe-Gittens back in 2020.
Manchester City fumbled Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Manchester City swooped to sign the teenage whiz from Reading in the summer of 2018 and had the promising talent in their academy for two years.
The England youth international made two appearances for the club at U18 level, as he was still in the early stage of his academy career, and contributed with one goal before making the decision to move on in 2020, at the age of 16.
He had not signed a professional contract with the Cityzens and that meant that Borussia Dortmund were able to make him an offer without having to agree a fee with the English outfit.
Bynoe-Gittens decided, after watching former City academy star Jaden Sancho thrive after a similar move, to part ways with City and make the switch to Germany in the summer of 2020, with the potential of first-team football reported to be one of the deciding factors.
It was reported that the Bundesliga giants only had to pay €90k (£76k) in compensation for the young gem, which now looks to be an incredible piece of business by Dortmund.
Bynoe-Gittens has gone from strength to strength since his move to Germany and has outperformed Grealish since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Why Man City must rue losing Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Firstly, Transfermarkt currently has the winger's market value at €28m (£23.6m) and that is significantly more than the £76k that the Cityzens raked in for his services just over four years ago.
This shows that City lost a hugely valuable asset for a virtually inconsequential fee when they failed to convince him that The Etihad was the best place for him to continue his development.
Phil Foden, Rico Lewis, and Oscar Bobb emerging as first-team stars for Man City in recent seasons shows that Guardiola is willing to give chances to young players, but Bynoe-Gittens seemingly did not believe that he would get the game time he needed.
Since his move to Dortmund, the England U21 international has starred at youth level – with 11 goals and five assists in 20 academy games – and worked his way into the first-team.
Appearances
27
22
Starts
15
11
Goals
3
3
Assists
4
1
Big chances created
4
3
As you can see in the table above, Bynoe-Gittens has made more appearances and more starts, whilst also being involved in more goals, than Grealish at league level since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Last season, the 20-year-old starlet produced two goals and eight assists in 34 appearances in all competitions, whilst Grealish managed three goals and three assists in 36 outings.
These statistics suggest that Bynoe-Gittens, who was hailed as a "threat" in transition by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has outperformed his compatriot at club level over the past 13 months or so.
This is another reason why Man City must rue losing the young forward, who is eight years younger than Grealish, as he is a terrific prospect who has already shown great quality at first-team level for his age and could have been a big asset for Guardiola to work with.
Man City messed up with £300k sale who's now worth more than Lewis
The Cityzens allowed the talented young defender to move on before his career flourished.
1 ByDan EmerySep 6, 2024