Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish has revealed that summer signing Anwar El Ghazi has been left stunned by how demanding the Championship has proven to be during his first month at the club.
The winger arrived on a season-long loan from French outfit Lille and the Dutch international has enjoyed a bright start to his career in England, appearing in five of the first seven games he has been at the club for.
With four of those coming in the league, Grealish has revealed the 23-year-old might well be struggling to adapt with the cut and thrust nature of England’s second tier.
He told the Telegraph: “I was speaking to Anwar [El Ghazi] this morning and he was asking me about Bristol City. I told him they play good football and he just puffed his cheeks out – I don’t think he can believe how hard the Championship is, coming from France.
“It’s absolutely relentless, but we have to be ready for it.”
Opinion
Welcome to England Anwar! The Championship is well renowned for being one of the toughest and most demanding divisions out there, not only because of the hectic schedule – often playing a game every three days – but with the quality of opposition week in, week out. There are some seriously big clubs in the second tier all with quality players at their disposal, Villa being a prime example with Yannick Bolasie and Tammy Abraham both having joined after playing Premier League football last season. There are no easy games, and while there is still a sense that it is a physical division, where the defenders are hard as nails and the midfielders are trying to snap the opposition in two with their tackles, it is the talent and technique which shines through. James Maddison dazzled last season before making the move to Leicester, and there has to be a good balance of flair and grit to succeed. El Ghazi definitely falls into the former category – now is the test to see whether he can show the mental resolution to succeed.