Editor’s Note: This is another piece written byZach Lowy who is a guest writer for the site. Zach is a freelance football journalist who has written for leading outlets like FotMob, BetUS, Apuestas Deportivas, and has appeared as a radio and television guest for BBC, SiriusXM FC, and various other platforms.
Sometimes, all you need is a change of scenery in order to turn things around in your career. That’s certainly proving to be the case for Jack Grealish, who has quickly staked a claim as one of the standout players of the 2025/26 Premier League season in the opening weeks.
Born in Birmingham, England, Grealish spent 19 years at Aston Villa and emerged as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League before making the move to Manchester City in 2021 for £100 million, the most expensive transfer of an English player ever as well as the highest fee ever paid by a British club. Grealish inherited Sergio Aguero’s #10 shirt and won the Premier League title in his debut season, but in general, he struggled to cope with the pressure and found himself scapegoated time and time again by media and supporters.
Nevertheless, he would bounce back in his sophomore year in Manchester, needing just 55 seconds to score his first goal of the 2022/23 season against Wolves. Grealish parlayed this into a breakthrough season at the Etihad, becoming a vital cog on the left side of attack and helping the Cityzens win the Premier League, FA Cup and a maiden UEFA Champions League title.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Jack Grealish of Manchester City celebrates with the Premier League Trophy after their team’s victory during the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on May 19, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Jack Grealish of Manchester City celebrates with the Premier League Trophy after their team’s victory during the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on May 19, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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Grealish took a step backwards in 2023/24, going from 5 goals and 11 assists in 50 matches to 3 goals and 3 assists in 36 appearances before following that up with 3 goals and 5 assists in 32 appearances in 2024/25. Whereas he was used to being the creative talisman at Villa Park and the conduit through which all of Villa’s attacking play ran through, Grealish was now just one more cog in a system featuring the likes of Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne. It’s precisely this mismatch with Pep Guardiola’s system, where improvisation and flair were curtailed by a need for positional play and restraint, that paved the way for his eventual departure in August.
Unlike at Villa, where he had the freedom and responsibility to roam around the pitch and express himself, Grealish’s game was stifled by a system that demanded more discipline and restraint from its wingers and attacking midfielders, who were tasked with retaining the ball, progressing it up the pitch, and patiently recycling possession. He was no longer charged with improvising and performing an elaborate skill move and taking on an array of opponents whilst driving from box to box; now, he had to keep it safe and refrain from dribbling past defenders.
This, combined with niggling injury problems as well as the arrivals of Savinho and Jeremy Doku, would cause his influence to wane at the Etihad, making just 17 Premier League starts in 2023/24 and 2024/25. He was falling out of love with football; he needed a fresh new start where he could express himself to the fullest of his abilities and go from just another player to a franchise player.
Enter: Everton.
LEEDS, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: David Moyes, head coach of Everton, issues instructions to Jack Grealish of Everton during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road on August 18, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
LEEDS, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: David Moyes, head coach of Everton, issues instructions to Jack Grealish of Everton during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road on August 18, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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The Toffees acquired him on a season-long loan on August 12 with a £50 million option to buy, six days before their season opener at Leeds United. After coming off the bench for the final 26 minutes of their ugly 1-0 defeat at Elland Road, Grealish made his first start for Everton on August 24 in what would be a historic occasion for the club.
After 123 years at Goodison Park, Everton were going to be playing their first-ever competitive match in their brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Grealish helped them christen the occasion in the 23rd minute, receiving the ball on the edge of the box, squaring up his opponent before bursting wide and blazing an inch-perfect cross for Iliman Ndiaye to convert. He was back at it again in the 52nd minute, drawing in two opponents before teeing up James Garner, who launched a thunderbolt into the near post to secure a 2-0 home win against Brighton.
It hasn’t taken long for Grealish to insert himself into the team and provide Everton with some much-needed creativity and dynamism. He’s quickly regaining his confidence and fitness and enjoying a more liberated tactical role under David Moyes and proving just why City paid a record fee for him four years ago. Similar to other football greats like Steven Gerrard, Les Reed and Michael Essien, Grealish’s strong mindset, astute ball-carrying skills, and ability to create space and opportunities have worked like a charm on Merseyside, with the Englishman racking up three key passes in their 2-0 win against Mansfield Town in the EFL Cup, before registering two assists in a 3-2 win away at Wolves.
Three days after celebrating his 30th birthday, Grealish faced off against his boyhood club Aston Villa, registering five key passes, completing two out of four crosses, winning seven out of 15 ground duels, winning two fouls, and completing two out of three dribbles in a 0-0 draw.
As opposed to City, where he was often confined to the touchline, he now has the freedom to drift into central areas, link up with teammates and directly influence proceedings. And again different to what he did at the Etihad, he’s no longer facing deep blocks on a regular basis; he now has more time and space to run into and generate chances. Grealish has gone from a bit-part player at City to the focal point of Everton’s attack, emerging as a reliable leader in attack and helping Everton start the season off on the right foot.
He picked up the August Premier League Player of the Month award as well, beating out interest from the likes of Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Erling Haaland (Man City), João Pedro (Chelsea), Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) and Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool).
Next up for Grealish’s Toffees? A trip to reigning champions Liverpool in what promises to be a pulsating Merseyside Derby.
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