“That’s three times the value of what he’s really worth”
Former Liverpool man Dirk Kuyt has slammed the price that Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish, suggesting that he’s only worth one-third of his £100 million fee.
The Dutchman – who spent six years on Merseyside – believes that City’s record signing can be viewed as an example of the effect that playing in the Premier League has on a player’s value.
Grealish became the Sky Blues’ most expensive signing when he left his boyhood club Aston Villa to join Pep Guardiola’s side in August.
However, Kuyt is adamant that City paid ‘three times the value’ in order to secure the services of the England international.
“The hype and success of the Premier League has an effect on the players’ values,” the 41-year-old told the Mirror.
“Just look at the price tags on them these days.
“Jack Grealish went for £100m to City. That’s three times the value of what he’s really worth.”
Despite his criticism, the former attacker did also state that Grealish was not the only example of inflated transfer fees within the Premier League, suggesting that ‘almost every player in England’ is impacted in the market purely because of their nationality.
Interestingly, Kuyt’s comments are similar to those of his compatriot, Rafael van der Vaart, who previously stated that Manchester United had overpaid for the signing of Harry Maguire in August 2019.
Speaking as a pundit in Holland, the former Spurs star said that Maguire had cost United “an absolute fortune”, before adding that he was “not playing to the level of his price tag”.
Following his comments, the 38-year-old revealed in an interview that the England defender’s agent had challenged him following his criticism of the former Leicester man.
On the other hand, Van der Vaart claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo – who made a sensational return to Old Trafford earlier this summer – is an example of a value-for-money signing.
“What he produced in the final minute of that game against Villarreal was not a coincidence. Not a matter of being lucky,” he stated.
“When a 36-year-old player still has a body like Cristiano, you have to believe in him.”
Grealish is likely to start for City when they travel to Anfield on Sunday (3 October) to face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a mouth-watering clash.
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