Jack Grealish returned to Everton on transfer deadline day for a second season long loan from Manchester City
Jack Grealish during an Everton training session at Finch Farm on September 9, 2026
Jack Grealish during an Everton training session at Finch Farm on September 9, 2026(Image: Tony McArdle - Everton FC via Getty Images)
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Jack Grealish has given loyal but long suffering Evertonians a timely boost with his return after they were left concerned by the chaotic end to the summer transfer window.
That’s the verdict of one of the mentors for the first £100million English footballer, who came back for a second season-long loan spell at the Blues on deadline day.
Upon re-signing for David Moyes’ men, Grealish said: “It feels so good. I’m so happy. I think I’m at my best at everything in life, not just football, when I feel loved. That’s what the manager has given me, what my teammates have given me and especially what the fans have given me.
“Every time I see an Everton fan, it’s just pure love and the way they’ve welcomed me since that first game against Leeds, I’ll never forget that. It means a lot to me and hopefully I’ve made a few Everton fans happy.
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“I had a perfect time here for the first six months, then I stayed around after I got injured. I’ve been watching all the Everton games in pre-season and since the season started.
“Now I feel ready to go. I’m ready to start training tomorrow and prepare for the games.”
Grealish received the first Premier League Player of the Month award of his career in the week of his 30th birthday after providing four assists in his first two starts and he then followed that up with Hill Dickinson Stadium’s first stoppage-time winner in the 2-1 comeback victory over Crystal Palace and Everton’s first Premier League success over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
However, after helping the Blues to arguably their best result of the season, a 1-0 triumph on January 18 back at Aston Villa, who had won their previous 11 home games, it was revealed that Grealish had suffered a major injury setback and he has subsequently undergone surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Although Grealish came back to Everton on September 1, after pocketing over £100million on deadline day with Iliman Ndiaye, Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson all sold, plus Adam Aznou loaned out, Everton were left with a small first-team squad that contains just one striker, one left-back and one right-back.
Within hours of the window closing, the 1878s, a prominent Blues fans’ group who have been dedicated to improving the atmosphere on matchdays, put out a statement to say they are standing down for the foreseeable future due to their disappointment and disgust over how the transfer window has played out while both the Everton Fans’ Forum and Everton Fan Advisory Board demanded answers from the club’s hierarchy.
Paul Lambert, who handed Grealish his senior debut at Aston Villa in 2014, reckons the player’s second coming at the Blues though can prove a shot in the arm.
Speaking to BOYLE Sports who offer the latest Premier League odds, the 57-year-old said: “I think Jack Grealish has definitely lifted the Everton supporters again. The fans were a little bit anxious about what was happening, but I think Jack coming in gives everyone a lift.
“If he can stay fit, they’ve got a real asset there. It was important for David, although I’m not sure if he got everyone he wanted, it looks like he didn’t. But you can only play with the hands you’re dealt.
“David got Jack, Tyrique George and Ainsley Maitland-Niles who had the perfect start. But Jack is definitely the one who really excites people.”
Grealish made a huge impact off the bench as the Blues snatched a deserved and dramatic 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United Sunday thanks to a stunning equaliser from debutant Maitland-Niles with virtually the last kick of the contest.
On Saturday, the Blues head to Tottenham Hotspur (5.30pm kick-off).