Aston Villa struck gold with ‘exciting’ 2021 signing, now worth more than Jack Grealish

A 2021 signing by Aston Villa has proven to be a goldmine.

as he is currently valued higher than Jack Grealish of Manchester City.

Aston Villa’s amazing 2023–24 season, which saw them advance to the Champions League and a European semi-final, is starting to wind down.

Ollie Watkins was one of the players that Unai Emery, the Spaniard, worked his magic on during his first full season in command.

The Englishman scored an incredible 27 goals in all competitions and had the most assists of any player in the top five leagues in Europe.

Under Emery, Watkins led Villa’s run into the top four and showed remarkable improvement—and he wasn’t the only one.

At Villa Park, Leon Bailey was a player lacking confidence when Emery took over.

Under Steven Gerrard, the jet-heeled Jamaican appeared to be a ghost of his former

after being acquired for £25 million from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2021.

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniard, Bailey made just eight goal contributions in 33 games as his confidence fell to an all-time low.

The gifted winger required a top-tier manager to reach his full potential.

and Emery has done just that. In all competitions in 2023–2024, the 26-year-old scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists.

Metaphorically speaking, it was the best season of his career.

He added to his goal and assist totals by finishing in the top 1% of wingers in each of the top five leagues in Europe for progressive passes received.

successful takeaways and progressive carries.

Given his scorching form,

It makes sense that talent scout Antonio Mango called him “exciting,” and in the past 12 months, his worth has increased dramatically.

The 28-year-old, who has only won his third Premier League title in succession,

had a forgettable season personally, managing just three goals and two assists in 31 games.

Pep Guardiola has watched Jeremy Doku’s worth decline as a result of his preference to deploy

the Englishman less frequently due to his explosive pace and unpredictable style.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, Grealish’s current net worth is

is £40 million (£34 million), a startling decline from the amount City spent on him.

And even though that might not be the exact amount they would receive if they sold him in real life,

Bailey has outperformed that amount over the past 12 months, thanks to his play.

Bailey is currently valued at €50 million (£42 million), and when Villa plays in the Champions League in 2024–2025,

that figure should rise even more.

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