Jack Grealish £100m verdict shows why Matthijs de Ligt Chelsea transfer sparks instant test

In a discussion with some fellow Chelsea writers, we pondered why the narrative over Romelu Lukaku's £100m transfer to Stamford Bridge has been framed so negatively compared to Jack Grealish who by expectation, and had a pretty quiet season.

Lukaku was deemed an abject failure whilst Grealish's struggles were written off as merely growing pains, adapting to life under Pep Guardiola.

Of course, Grealish did not antagonise City fans doing a mid-season interview sharing his love for Aston Villa, but the different perspective does in some way reflect how far apart both clubs are in the Premier League.

Thomas Tuchel has already given Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Chelsea transfer verdict

The way both deals were framed from the off were radically different. Grealish, albeit a record transfer for City, was not deemed a saviour to a struggling attack. He was not heralded as a missing piece of a jigsaw either. He was a very talented playmaker joining an already productive attack.

An attack that was not solely reliant on him performing from the off. Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were City's top three scorers in 2021/22. Grealish came in ninth, below Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan. City won the league for the fourth time in five seasons, and their domestic dominance continued.

At Chelsea, the failure for Lukaku to adapt had pretty terrible consequences, one of which has forced the Blues to embarrassingly send the player back on loan to the club they bought him for. At City, the culture of consistent winning and the embedded system allows that room for adaptation.

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