Jack Grealish has called his move to the Etihad a “dream come true” after putting pen to paper on a record-breaking contract at Manchester City.
The Aston Villa midfielder has become the most expensive British player in history by commanding a £100m transfer fee – trumping the previous record of £89.3m paid for Paul Pogba by Manchester United in 2016.
Grealish has signed a six-year deal at City worth more than £200,000 a week – completing his medical at the club on Thursday (5 August).
He will take the number 10 shirt vacated by record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.
HE'S HERE!
We are delighted to announce the signing of @JackGrealish on a six-year deal.
Carrying such a big price tag means the move will come with expectation, but Grealish says the challenge is something “any footballer would want”.
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“I am incredibly happy to have joined Manchester City,” Grealish said.
“City are the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world – it’s a dream come true to be part of this club.
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“Over the past 10 seasons, they have won major trophies consistently. Pep [Guardiola] coming here has taken them to the next level and the football this team plays is the most exciting in Europe. To play for Pep and learn from him is going to be special and it’s something any top footballer would want.
“It was a difficult few months because I have been an Aston Villa fan for my whole life but, when I spoke to the manager here and you see what type of players they have got here … in the end it was something I could not say no to.”
“The facilities are amazing, and I honestly can’t wait to get started, meet everyone and get playing.”
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Grealish also said that he would revel in the fact that he would have to fight for his place in the title-winning team.
“That is what you need,” he stated.
“It is something that I thrive off and I think everyone needs to be kept on their toes for competition for places.”
Ready for the next chapter! So proud to have joined the Premier League champions, can’t wait to get started! 💙 pic.twitter.com/snoKdNQSpT
Grealish joined Villa as a six-year-old and graduated through the academy – spending 19 years at the club altogether.
Hype around the player increased after he was named Villa’s player of the season in 2020/21 and made appearances for England at Euro 2020.
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Man City’s Director of Football Txiki Begiristain expressed elation at securing Grealish’s signature, calling him “an incredible talent”.
Begiristain added: “Jack’s development over the past few seasons both for club and country has been plain for everybody to see. His natural talent together with his commitment to improve as a player, has seen him become one of the most exciting attacking players in world football today.
“I am certain that the fans are going to love seeing him in our team. Pep loves the way he plays, and we all feel he is an ideal fit for Manchester City. Our style and his style are a perfect match. I’m excited to watch him over the coming years.”
Featured image: Manchester City
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Oldham Athletic have founded a brand-new deaf football club
Danny Jones
Oldham Athletic FC have just started a brand-new team for deaf players ahead of the upcoming 2026/27 season.
A dedicated side built around footballers with hearing impairments, it’s an uplifting show of accessibility by the Greater Manchester side.
While this is by no means a first, and we’re proud to say that there are multiple deaf football teams across the region and North West at large, having an EFL club of this stature and history get behind the initiative is a deeply moving development and statement of intent when it comes to helping key causes.
Officially confirmed this past weekend, OAFC are set to join the North League of the deaf football pyramid imminently.
Writing alongside the social media post, the Latics said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club.
“Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club is a brand-new team that will provide deaf and hard of hearing players with the opportunity to represent the club and compete under the Oldham Athletic badge, competing in the North League of the Deaf football pyramid.”
Once again, they are not the first local outfit to develop a deaf football programme, with the likes of Radcliffe FC, Manchester Futsal, the Deaf Rhinos in Rochdale, and Greater Manchester Deaf FC all having helped pave the way for this particular sector of the beautiful game.
In yet another recent display of their grassroots work in action, Frank Rothwell’s community-driven club have also reaffirmed their commitment to developing more pathways for young talent:
🗓️ There are extra opportunities for Year 11 school leavers to join our Football Centre of Excellence this week.
⚽ Register now for our men's programme pre-season training on Tuesday 28 and Thursday 30 July with Chris Taylor. #oafc
Circling back to the new deaf football team, the statement goes on to read, “The new team marks another important step in OACT’s commitment to ensuring that football is accessible and inclusive for everyone across the borough.
“Through the creation of Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club, the Trust aims to provide a welcoming environment where players can develop their skills, enjoy the game, and experience the pride of representing Oldham Athletic.”
If you or someone you know might be interested in getting involved with Oldham’s new deaf football team, you can find out more about the wider project in their full announcement HERE.
As for the mainline men’s team, you can see the highlights from their most recent pre-season game against nearby opponents and old Lancashire rivals, Bolton Wanderers, down below.
Featured Images — Oldham Athletic Football Club (publicity picture)
Sport
Luke Littler is challenging amateurs to beat him at darts as part of a live Netflix event
Danny Jones
In an unprecedented new sports event in the world of streaming, North West sports star Luke Little is offering people the chance to try and win a game of darts against him live on Netflix.
Best of all, he and the entertainment platform have put up a huge grand prize for anyone who can beat the Warrington wonder.
So, for any of you who fancy yourselves as Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor reincarnated when stepping up to the oche down at the local, or if you’re simply bold enough to throw your name in the hat, you’ll want to pay attention for this one…
Announcing the special one-off sporting event on Netflix later this year, Luke Littler has issued the call-out to see if anyone can best him in a game of 501 in front of millions watching at home.
Quite literally the opportunity of a lifetime for fans of the arrows, this exclusive livestream is like nothing that the media giants have done before.
Having dipped their toes into the likes of live boxing fights over the past few years, they’ve definitely got a few live events under their belt, but this exciting and crucially interactive series of matches feels like something genuinely new for Netflix.
Most notably of all, using the name of the popular darts game played not only live on telly at competitions throughout the year but also at countless pubs across the country to set the prize fee, a prospective winner could potentially win £501k this autumn.
Imagine: half a million pounds for one (admittedly very tough) game of darts.
The only major caveat aside from, you know, him being an absolute phenom and already a serial winner is he also happens to be in the form of his life – his words and virtually everyone else’s.
"This is the best version of myself… I'm playing SO WELL!"
Luke Littler listens to some of the records he's broken in his ridiculous World Matchplay campaign 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EVQSrHxSHf
Having smashed Gerwyn Price to defend his World Matchplay Darts title on Sunday evening, cruising to an 18-9 victory with so many 100+ visits and finishes that he broke the tournament’s record average, which has stood since 2010, anyone who does come up against him is currently praying for a miracle.
Price himself told Sky Sports that the youngster’s performance looked ‘effortless’, quipping, “I hope there’s nobody else like him coming through!”
Still only 19, the local lad is the toughest of tasks for even the best on the pro circuit, but if you still somehow fancy your chances, heats will be taking place in Manchester and London, where the top 20 players will get their shot at the man himself on Friday, 30 October.
You can find out all the important information and sign up right HERE.
For now, why not see just how good Littler is playing at the minute and watch back his highlights from a record-breaking final this weekend?
Not that he’s ever truly cooled off, but he really is on fire at the minute.
The Manc -
6th August 2021 
