Is Everton signing Jack Grealish from Manchester City again the right move?
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Everton have been continuously linked with a move to sign Jack Grealish during the summer transfer window once again, following his loan spell at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last season.
Grealish signed a season-long loan from Manchester City but missed the majority of the second half of the campaign due to injury. In what is a rare move for a loan player, Grealish remained at Finch Farm in order to do his rehabilitation, when usually they would return to their parent club.
Although that may not seem like a huge deal, it's very clear that that was a decision from Grealish himself: wanting to remain around the club rather than return to Manchester City. That emphasised how much he loved his time at Everton, despite only being there for a short period. It always felt like there was a huge possibility that he would return again this summer.
With the transfer window ongoing, links back to Everton have continued, but he has been involved with Man City over the last few weeks.
As we edge towards the end of the window, stronger links have emerged in recent days. It appears Everton remain interested, and Grealish is keen on a return.
Now, looking at social media, it appears there is a huge split between fans about whether Everton should go ahead with this deal.
If I’m honest, I totally get both sides of the coin, so let’s get into them.
No to Grealish
Those who don’t want to see Grealish return, I understand. The main arguments seem to be these:
Finances
Blocking development of Dibling and George
Both of those arguments totally make sense. Grealish is on a huge wage at Man City, and Everton will likely have to cover a large portion of his wages, while potentially paying a loan fee too. That means committing probably over £10m to a player for one season.
Everton have to consider whether the finances are worth it. If Everton are fired into Europe thanks for Grealish’s contributions, then you can probably justify it being worth it. Based on the overall performances last season and his injury, it obviously wasn’t worth it.
If we sign Grealish simply to finish in the bottom half, it’s a complete waste of money. Everton have to be confident that Grealish’s contributions ensure we qualify for Europe. Those who are against the signing of Grealish obviously don’t feel that he’s going to be able to contribute enough for that to happen.
The second argument is blocking the pathway of Tyler Dibling and Tyrique George. Again, I completely understand that. If Grealish signs, he’s likely to play every single game he is available. This makes it incredibly difficult for George to get regular minutes.
This also forces Iliman Ndiaye on the right-hand side, meaning Dibling is going to struggle to get minutes. This was the case last season, and it’s likely to be the same again if Grealish signs.
Will they still get game time? Well, I do believe George will. He’s showing a lot at the moment and hopefully Moyes is more open to rotation, but it does feel incredibly unlikely that Dibling is going to play.
The signing of Brennan Johnson and Grealish means Everton would have five wingers, and Dibling does feel bottom of the pile in Moyes’ thinking.
So the question the ‘Grealish out’ group are asking is, do we actually need Grealish? The answer is probably no. Grealish himself is going to struggle to fire us into Europe, we need multiple signings around him. The argument is those funds could be used better elsewhere.
Yes to Grealish
Firsly, there’s a sentimental side to Grealish coming back. Or at least there is for me. I love seeing a player fall in love with the club, and it’s clear as day that Grealish has done that.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Grealish. A maverick who just absolutely loves his football and is an incredibly down-to-earth person. He’s a real character and a likeable one at that.
Then it comes to ability. There’s no doubt Grealish improves us as a player. He’s a creative threat, carries the ball out of dangerous situations, helps us retain possession, and creates space for others. There is a lot to his game that other Everton wingers don’t bring as much.
He’s a player I love watching, personally, and he has a star quality that Everton lacks.
If Grealish arrives, he instantly becomes a starter and improves the team. Those who want Grealish to return are looking straight at that point and that’s it then. That’s enough for them to want to bring him back. And who can blame them?
Fans want to see the team improve, and Grealish does that. Some fans are not interested in thinking about the financials. It’s understandable. It can become tedious and is a new thing fans are expected to care deeply about. Can you blame fans for thinking like that? Absolutely not.
Grealish x Ndiaye
Look, Ndiaye clearly wants to leave the club. I get the impression that he’s not overly bothered, but he certainly won’t be turning down a move to Manchester City.
If City are keen, and Everton want Grealish, it makes sense to make something happen. They’ve just received a huge sum for Savio, so it’s an opportunity to test them.
The issue Everton have is, if Grealish comes in and Ndiaye leaves, Johnson and Dibling are your right-sided players, with Grealish and George your left-sided. That’s arguably your two strongest players on the one side.
Does this lead to Everton then signing a new winger after that? It feels like they’d probably want a specialist right-sided attacker, but then you’re back in the previous five-winger situation we’ve spoken about. Does Dibling then leave on loan?
It feels like there are a lot of unanswered questions making it incredibly difficult for fans to assess this kind of deal, which is why there is so much division.
There isn’t long left in the window, and Everton can’t afford to get this wrong now. Oh, by the way, we still need a right-back.