We have known since the end of last season that Jack Grealish no longer had a place at Manchester City. Yet it is only now that he’s found a new destination; and it’s only on a temporary basis at that. Also, it’s the first club that he was linked to, back in May- Everton FC.
Why this is only getting wrapped up now, instead of at the beginning of the summer, is a mystery. You can be sure that there is more than one person to blame for this summer transfer window protractedness and inefficiency.
But anyway, Grealish moves from Man City to Everton on season long loan, which includes an option-to-buy. Along the way, Newcastle and Tottenham had also been said to be interested in him.
Not an obligation, but an option. And according to the latest update from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, that fee, in the summer of 2026, would be in the neighborhood of about £50 million. While that sounds like a ton of money (because it is), it’s still 1/2 off from what City paid Aston Villa for the winger in the summer of 2021.
Yes, it was only four summers ago that Grealish became the first 100 million GBP English-born player. And unfortunately, it was a deal that worked out for Villa, and Villa alone. They were able to rebuild their squad and get back into qualifying for UEFA competition.
Meanwhile Grealish fell way down the pecking order at City and Pep Guardiola has made it publicly clear, time and time again that the forward’s future lay elsewhere. He made only seven league starts last season, was benched in the FA Cup final and omitted from the Club World Cup squad.
But now he’s getting a new start at a new club, and perhaps once he gets regular first team football at Everton, he’ll then regain his place in the England squad. Once Grealish, 29, passes his medical and signs his paperwork, he should be ready to go for the Toffees season opener a week from today, at Leeds United.
He’s also a good signing, maybe some might even say “a splash signing” for the new Mersey riverside stadium.
Grealish will be a part of the Toffees team that opens up Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2025-26.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter
