Speaking nearly three weeks ago now at the Soccerex Convention, Jack Grealish's agent Jonathan Barnett said that another client of his - Gareth Bale - had made a major financial mistake by choosing to play for Wales over England.
Bale could have qualified to play for England through his grandmother and according to Barnett, this decision "has cost him millions and millions of pounds".
Forward to today, and Jack Grealish's announcement that he wishes to play international football for England rather than Ireland, it seems Barnett has had a considerable influence in the Aston Villa player's choice.
According to the Telegraph's Luke Edwards, Grealish has chosen to play for England as it makes 'commercial sense'.
I've been reliably informed that Jack Grealish has elected to play for England because it makes more "commercial sense" to do so. Great
— Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) September 28, 2015
Many Irish fans will have been disappointed with Grealish's decision, with just as many claiming that they never wanted him to put on the Irish shirt at senior level in the first place.
But even for English fans, it must be dispiriting to hear that a major factor in a player choosing to play for their county was commercial.
