Ireland under-21 star and England target Jack Grealish has signed a four-year contract with Aston Villa, which will keep the 19-year-old at his boyhood club until June 2018.
BREAKING NEWS: @JackGrealish1 signs new four-year deal. More to follow. #AVFC pic.twitter.com/XFNEGt97yW
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) October 14, 2014
Villa boss Paul Lambert summed up the feeling around Villa Park at tying down the youngster whose current deal was due to expire at the end of this season.
There's always an excitement around a young player who comes through the Academy, but the thing is the potential we have signed in Jack Grealish is great for everyone connected with Villa. He has a long way to go in the game but the potential that's in him, we believe, means we could have a really good player in the years to come.
In advance of signing a new contract, Grealish joined the Stellar Group, the sports agency best known for representing Gareth Bale and Ashley Cole. The deal is thought to be worth around £20,000 per week and in a statement on the Villa website, Grealish was understandably delighted to have committed his future to his boyhood club.
I'm delighted and it's a dream come true to commit my future to my boyhood club. I've grown up supporting the Club - in fact, I've had a season ticket at Villa since I was four years old and came to every game - so this is a big thing for me and my family.
All of my family are Villa fans and my dad [Kevin] has been there from the start, all through my career he's followed me and he hasn't missed a Villa game this season.
This has always been a club that plays a big role in the community, it has a family feel to it and I'm proud to be part of that now. This feels like home to me. For the manager and the Club to show this faith and trust in me, I'm really appreciative and I'm determined to repay that trust.
I know I have to continue to kick on and push on now, I have to keep developing and progressing and I have to strive to be as good a player as I can possibly be. Mentally and physically, I came on a lot last season on loan at Notts County and that experience helped me loads.
They were bottom of the table when I went there, so every game mattered and they were a great group of people to work with and learn from. I matured a lot last season.
That experience will help me now and every day I'm learning from the players here and the manager and it's been a steep learning curve that can only benefit me in the long run.
We've made a really solid start to the season and there's a strong belief that we can continue to progress as a team. It's great to feel a part of that.
