David Moyes has made his intentions clear: Everton’s attack will be built around Jack Grealish. Not adapted to accommodate him, not squeezed in, but shaped from the ground up around what the 31-year-old offers.
It felt like a significant statement of intent from a manager not usually associated with sentiment and hyperbole. But with Iliman Ndiaye gone to Manchester City on deadline day and Grealish back at Everton on loan from the same club, Moyes appears convinced he can build his attack around Grealish.
Why Moyes is ready to build Everton around Grealish
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Moyes was unambiguous about where his priorities lie. Rather than demanding Grealish contort his game to fit a pre-existing system, the Everton manager wants his team to bend around the qualities that made the winger one of the Premier League’s most feared creators.
“I think it’s what Jack offers us really, as much as anything. I think we need to use Jack and then adapt ourselves around Jack. I don’t think that I’m saying: ‘Jack, you’ll need to adapt to everything we do’. There’ll be bits Jack’s very good at, and there’ll be bits that he’s not, and we have to try and pick up and cover the bits he’s not so good at. I really hope that he can get back to the levels he was at when he first came in.”
The departure of Ndiaye has sharpened the need for quality up front. Everton’s European push depends on generating consistent attacking output, and with one senior creative outlet sold, Moyes has effectively nominated Grealish as his replacement rather than searching for a like-for-like swap.
Fitness realities and tactical adjustments in the Everton midfield
The enthusiasm is tempered by caution, and rightly so. Grealish suffered a foot injury at Aston Villa back in January that kept him out of regular football for six and a half months. Since returning to fitness and switching to Everton, he has been used sparingly, limited to two substitute appearances as Moyes manages his reintegration.
Moyes addressed that balancing act when discussing Grealish’s involvement before the Spurs fixture, and his words underline just how carefully this process is being handled.
“It was [important] because he’d not had enough minutes, really. Was he in a position where you think he should be playing? You’d be saying he wasn’t, so even when bringing him on we didn’t know exactly what we were getting. And, more importantly, he’d had no football for six and a half months bar those small cameos [for Man City across the start of the season] so it was a bit of a risk for us. But he actually needs the football to develop. He needs the games to bring himself on.”
That admission, that even Moyes did not know “exactly what we were getting” when introducing Grealish, is a rare insight. It also explains the tactical experimentation seen elsewhere in the side. In the 2-2 draw with Manchester United, Tyrique George shifted out to the right wing after Grealish came on, and scored Everton’s opening goal from that position.
For context on how Moyes has handled his personnel puzzles this season, David Moyes tactical decisions have often prioritised defensive solidity. Maybe a fit Grealish changes that.
Carabao Cup hosting of Wolves and long-term attack implications
Everton’s next opportunity to build minutes into Grealish’s legs comes tonight in the Carabao Cup third round, where they host Wolves. Moyes has not indicated that Grealish is guaranteed a starting role, and nothing in his comments to the Liverpool Echo suggests the winger is considered fully match fit after such a long lay-off.
What is clear is the direction of travel. Whether Grealish features from the start against Wolves or is introduced again from the bench, the broader plan Moyes has outlined will continue regardless: Everton’s attacking structure is being built with Grealish’s eventual return to full sharpness as the end goal.
As Moyes noted elsewhere this season when discussing the standards required to compete at the top end of the table, he made a pertinent £400m Tottenham point about the gulf in resources Everton must overcome through being smart rather than spending power. Full details of Moyes’ comments were first reported when Moyes spoke to the Liverpool Echo at yesterday’s pre-match presser.
Whether George’s emergence on the right complicates or complements that plan remains to be seen. What is certain is that Everton’s attacking future this season now has a clear focal point, and supporters will be watching closely to see how quickly Grealish can justify the faith being placed in him.
Everton vs Wolves TV details and Carabao Cup match guide
Everton vs Wolves TV details and Carabao Cup match guide
Everton news & talking points: Branthwaite, Grealish, Friedkin and Wolves
Everton news & talking points: Branthwaite, Grealish, Friedkin and Wolves