Jack Grealish left his boyhood club Aston Villa for Manchester City in the summer and in the process, he became the first £100m English player.
The attacking midfielder has had a good start to his Etihad career, managing two goals and two assists in seven matches across all competitions this season.
He is managed by ICM Stellar, with Jonathan Barnett and David Manasseh heading the British agency.
Bild interviewed Barnett and when asked whether the recently concluded window was one of the ‘craziest’ he has ever experienced as an agent, the representative hailed the planning done by the Premier League winners in signing the 26-year-old.
“Maybe towards the end it was the most exciting one I experienced, but not crazy at all. It was a more careful transfer window, yes. There weren’t that many deals. But the ones that were completed were better planned and more professional,” he said.
The England international was the only major addition made by Pep Guardiola’s side in the last window as they failed to take Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur. The super-agent was quizzed whether it was hard to broker Grealish’s move from Villa to City.
When responding to that, Barnett made an observation regarding those clubs who made top quality signings in the last window.
“The clubs weren’t looking for middle-class players, they just wanted the best. It was the summer of top transfers like Grealish or Ronaldo. Quality over quantity,” Barnett explained.
“Of course, the market was different in each country. The Premier League had some money, Italy and Germany didn’t. The clubs had to take a lot into account and be very careful because of their difficult financial situation. And I think they did very well.
“The big deals are far tougher! They have to be prepared so well and every single step has to be done correctly, with caution. And it is important not to waste the time of the most important men in the industry. Unfortunately, I can’t go into any further detail about such transfers…”
