We’ve good news and bad news, Irish football fans.
First, the good news: Jack Grealish is set to decide his international future in the next month.
However, judging by comments made by his agent recently, love of country may not be the only consideration.
Jonathan Barnett is also Gareth Bale’s agent, and spoke about how he attempted to persuade a 15-year-old Bale to play for England, due to the greater financial rewards for being an England international, rather than play for Wales.
“When we first got together when he was 15, we talked about whether he was going to play for England or Wales,” Barnett said at the Soccerex Convention in Manchester.
“I nearly got my head bitten off by his dad, who is fanatically Welsh, and his mum.”
“He could have qualified through his grandmother and I tell you that it has cost him millions and millions of pounds.”
“You can imagine what it would have been like if he were playing for England next summer in the Euros… but he does love playing for Wales.”
It would be lunacy to think Barnett hasn’t suggested the same course of action to Grealish, and made him aware of the money to be made from being an England international.
There are also, of course, other considerations to made when making such a decision, and it’s not as if Bale is crying himself to sleep over the “millions and millions of pounds” he could’ve gained.
Thankfully, we should know Grealish’s decision soon enough.
