Olivier Giroud’s days may be up at
Chelsea while Tom Davies and André Gomes could point the way forward at EvertonSome infrequent observers think Jack Grealish is an overhyped luxury player. They are wrong. Grealish is an artful creator but also a hard and clever worker. Since being made the Aston Villa captain after returning from injury in March, he has led by example. An outstanding performance in the win over Brighton was the latest evidence. “People thought the captaincy may be a burden for him, being a Villa fan, but from what I’ve seen he likes the responsibility and thrives on it,” the manager, Dean Smith, said. “He’s one of our top distance-coverers but also one of our top high-speed runners. Other sides that people don’t see or hear or write about: [against Brighton] he ran 60 yards back to dispossess a player in our penalty box. The quality of the player is there for all to see, and for him to be as good as he is defensively is certainly a bonus for us.” Paul Doyle