Jack Grealish “could be somebody for the future at Arsenal”, claims Gilberto Silva, with the Aston Villa playmaker considered to “play beautiful football” in the Dennis Bergkamp mould.
The England international has seen a big-money move mooted for some time.
His creative qualities have never been in question, but he needed to prove himself at the very highest level in order to convince his many suitors that he would be worth investing in.
Manchester United are said to have monitored his progress for some time , but the Red Devils have splashed the cash on alternative midfield options such as Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek.
Grealish has been happy to avoid being dragged into long-running transfer debates, with the 25-year-old remaining fiercely loyal to his boyhood club.
A new long-term contract was signed at Villa Park over the summer, with no push for the exits being made.
He has, however, burst onto a senior international stage this season and continued to prove his worth among the Premier League elite.
That is expected to see more admiring glances shot in his direction during future windows, with Arsenal legend Gilberto suggesting that Emirates Stadium could be a potential landing spot.
The Brazilian believes that the Gunners are crying out for another proven playmaker, with Grealish ticking plenty of boxes for those in north London.
He told The Invisible Wall Show : “Grealish, amazing. It seems like he could be a player that Arsenal missed.
“With his ability, he was one of the guys in the middle who can play beautiful football. He controls the ball, assists and can score goals.
“He is slightly different from Dennis Bergkamp, but he could be somebody for the future at Arsenal.”
Grealish offered the Gunners another look at what he is capable of prior to the November international break as he ran the show for Villa in a 3-0 victory for Dean Smith’s side at the Emirates.
That performance came as no surprise to England colleague Bukayo Saka, with the Arsenal star saying of a player he is now lining up alongside for the Three Lions: “He is a top player.
“When I came here [on England duty] before in my first camp he was probably the player who impressed me the most in training.
“Before we played against Villa we did analyse him and we picked him out as one of their main threats and he showed it in the game. He was amazing from start to finish.”
