I haven't posted on here for a while but felt like a rant and need to let it out somehow...
Firstly, I'm 36 years old and I can't be arsed to hold a lifetime grudge against Jack. I won't boo him. On a human level I can appreciate how tempting a move to City may be. I appreciate the role he played in helping to get us promoted and stay up. He's undoubtedly one of the most talented players I've seen in a Villa shirt - a generational talent.
On the other hand, f*ck him. One of the things that bothers me most about the general narrative in the media and online right now is the idea that he was doing us a favour by staying this long; by signing a contract last year he was somehow throwing us a bone to ensure we got a big fat paycheque this year. Firstly, Spurs are the only club who have come in for him before now and they thought so little of him as to bid £5 m and a part ex-change deal. Since then, we've given him the captaincy, built a team around him and played our part in developing him at pace, year on year, into one of the best midfielders in Europe. He's hardly been stagnating the last few years - he has constantly improved and been able to play pretty much however he wanted to. If he had gone to Spurs, I highly doubt he would be the player he is now, nor would he be earning 250K plus a week with the reigning PL champs. Him being at villa the last few years has been mutually beneficial for both parties, and I don't think that many people outside villa appreciate that or the role that we've played in his development.
Secondly, would he have signed that contract last year if United (or anyone else) had come in for him? With hindsight, I doubt it. No bids came in, so he signed a contract for 125K p/w (not bad for a 24 yr old with one full season of prem experience), and obviously had assurances built in (either through a minimum release fee or gentleman's agreement) that we wouldn't stand in the way if an offer came in. It's hardly the act of altruism and loyalty that some make it out to be. He simply didn't have other options, so agreed to a massive pay rise and has, essentially, f*cked off the very first time a serious offer came in.
I'm pragmatic, and realised that sooner or later we could lose him, especially if we had made no progress last season. But for large parts of the season we looked like challenging for the top 7, and this season could have pushed on even further. He's 25 years old. Undoubtedly a move to City is a great opportunity in many ways, but its highly unlikely to be his last. At the very least, I was hoping he could stay for another year, help us challenge for Europe and become established near the top end of the table, and if he still wanted to move he would have other opportunities with his prime years ahead of him (and leave with villa in a much more secure position). Instead, he's left a week before the new season - a potentially crucial season in which we could either push on, or slide back down the table.
I'm **** annoyed. I think he's tarnished his legacy and it's a d*ck move. Maybe my mood will soften over the coming days...
Sincere apologies for the long winded rant!