'We never expected £100m to be met for Grealish'
Before Aston Villa begin their Premier League campaign against Watford, boss Dean Smith was asked about Jack Grealish's departure.
On whether the new signings make the squad stronger than last season: "It was important that we strengthened the squad depth this season. We felt we had an 11 that could compete against anybody including the top teams - now we've got more variation, more adaptability, and more depth and that's really important.
"Obviously Jack going was a big loss - we wanted to keep him but we would have added more creativity and have added more creativity with Buendia whether Jack stayed or not. I think we're in a good place.
"We made a £100m from a lad who came through the academy and has set a British record.
One people questioning the ambition of Aston Villa: "Jack was our best player but we never expected £100m to be met and it has been. The day Jack was announced to leave we signed Danny Ings."
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