By Gabriel Agbonlahor

5th Nov, 2020 | 4:00pm

'Massive' - Exclusive: Agbonlahor wowed by Villa owners after £25m+ contract sealed

Gabriel Agbonlahor has hailed the Aston Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens for tying Jack Grealish to a “massive” new contract.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider assistant editor Dylan Childs, the former Villa striker claimed the bumper new deal for the club captain is proof of the ambition of the billionaire owners.

Villa confirmed in September that Grealish had signed a new deal running until 2025 to extend his spell at his boyhood club.

A Villa source has told Football Insider the deal is worth around £100,000-a-week, equivalent to more than £25million in total.

Asked by Football Insider what it means for Villa to have secured Grealish to a five-year contract, Agbonlahor said:

“I think it’s massive. For a club like Aston Villa to hold onto a star is rare. All my time at Aston Villa, anyone that was worth a decent amount of money would be sold.

“These owners are looking like they’re not going to do that and it’s a great incentive for
the club and a fan to show that, if we’ve got superstars or great players, we’re not going to sell them.

“We’re not going to sell Mings, we’re not going to sell McGinn, we’re not gonna sell Grealish – we’re going to tie them down to longer deals and keep them.

“That’s the only way you’re ever going to have a chance to break into the top six, top eight, if you keep your best players.“

In other news, West Ham tipped to beat Aston Villa to ‘£7million January signing’ after agreement revealed.