Jack Grealish (center) of Manchester City visits a kids coaching session at the Etihad Stadium on August 9 in Manchester, England. Photo: VCG

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish has become Manchester City's Jack Grealish during the close season with the midfielder leaving his boyhood club for the English champions.

While Grealish said that the decision was a difficult one, comparing it to Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona, the England international made one thing clear: he is not fazed by the 100 million pound price tag that it cost for Pep Guardiola to prize him from Villa Park.

"It probably hasn't sunk in yet," Grealish said. "If anything it just fills me with confidence. It just shows how much the club and the manager value me and that only gives me confidence going forward.

"When you see a club paying that much for a player, it means they trust and value you highly and see so much potential there to work with."

Grealish and everyone else at the Etihad Stadium are talking about the UEFA Champions League, which will be key to the club's ambitions, but they will also want to defend their English Premier League and Carabao Cup crowns from last season.

"The club were so close to winning it last year," Grealish said of the Champions League, which City lost to Chelsea in the final - the first they have reached.

"That is exactly why I have come here. I look around the changing room and there is so much talent and depth and I fully believe we can win it this year. The depth in every position is absolutely crazy."

Grealish - all 100 million of his British record transfer fee - will be expected to live up to that price tag - and even if he says it is not an issue it will be one in the press, stands and on social media if his performances do not live up to it.

Past heights

History shows us this from what happened with the other holders of the British transfer record in the Premier League era.

Take Paul Pogba. The jury is still out on the Manchester United midfielder five seasons on from his arrival for 89 million in July 2016. 

It was meant to be a triumphant homecoming for Pogba, who had left Old Trafford for Juventus on a free transfer in 2012. 

Pogba has helped United win trophies but not yet the Premier League or Champions League and there has been almost constant disquiet from his advisors. 

His club manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer remains enamored while France boss Didier Deschamps delights in a player that helped them win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. If the price tag is an issue, it is only one in the media.

The record fee paid by a British club was for Fernando Torres before Pogba when the striker moved from Liverpool to Chelsea. That 50 million pound fee on a deadline day in January 2011 seemed to be a millstone around the striker's neck. His shooting boots appeared to be left in Liverpool though he did help the club to its breakthrough Champions League final.

It was Robinho the last time that Manchester City broke the British transfer record, paying Real Madrid 32.5 million for the Brazilian in September 2008, just after Sheikh Mansour had taken over the club. 

While the transfer made headlines, Robinho did not as a City player and left for Santos back in Brazil barely 18 months later. Robinho had been going to Chelsea before City stepped in and the West London club have been no strangers to the British transfer record since Roman Abramovich took over at Stamford Bridge. 

They broke it for Andriy Shevchenko in July 2006, signing the star from AC Milan. The Ukrainian was another never to quite hit the heights at Chelsea.

Before Abramovich took over it was Manchester United that were regularly breaking the British transfer record. 

They did so for Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United, shelling out 29.1 million on the defender. Ferdinand was a trophy magnet at Old Trafford where he won six Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League.

It is fair to say that Ferdinand fared better than Juan Sebastian Veron, who was signed for a British record fee the summer before. Veron arrived from Lazio with a superb reputation but never quite found his form in England at United or Chelsea, where he moved after two seasons in Manchester.

Perhaps Veron was an outlier. Ruud van Nistelrooy proved a bargain at just 19 million when he signed three months before Veron. The Dutch striker bagged 150 goals in 219 games for United, winning one Premier League in five years.

Leeds United's largesse saw them break the British record fee for Rio Ferdinand in November 2000. He impressed at Elland Road as the club went to the semifinals of the Champions League and was sold for a profit. 

Ferdinand is not the only player to have broken the British record more than once. Alan Shearer signed for Newcastle United for 15 million from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 1996. 

While he never won anything at St James Park, he was a hero to the Geordie faithful and more than lived up to his record fee - just as he had done when he signed for Rovers from Southampton.

That first time was in 1992 and he helped Rovers to the Premier League, while those in between were similarly successful. Roy Keane, Chris Sutton, Andy Cole, Dennis Bergkamp and Stan Collymore all broke the British record and lived up to the fee. Will Grealish do the same?