Everton and David Moyes have enjoyed an excellent start to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, as they sit in sixth place heading into the November international break.
The Toffees have won four, drawn four, and lost two of their opening ten matches in the division, which has left them in the race to secure European football, as it stands.
REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
Two goals from Thierno Barry and one strike from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall secured a 3-1 win over Coventry City at the Hill Dickinson last time out, a result that made it three successive wins in all competitions.
A player who did not feature in any of those three wins was Jack Grealish, who has been on the sidelines since a breach of club discipline last month.
How Jack Grealish's Everton career could end
The former England international did not arrive to take part in a training session in the build-up to the League Cup clash with Newcastle United at the end of October.
That led to a club decision to remove him from the first-team squad for the following three matches, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be part of Moyes' plans on the other side of the international break.
It is disappointing for the Toffees to have that situation come from an experienced 31-year-old player who has been on the books of Manchester City and played at the top level for such a long time.
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26/27 Premier League Jack Grealish
Appearances 6
xG 0.11
Shots on target per game 0.3
Goals 0
Key passes per game 1.5
xA 0.80
Assists 0
Duel success rate 46%
The fact that this issue came after he started the season without a goal or an assist for the club in eight appearances in all competitions may make the decision on whether or not to keep him at the Hill Dickinson all the easier.
Jack Grealish and Everton manager David Moyes
Grealish is currently only on loan from Manchester City and the Toffees could part ways with him by terminating the loan deal early during the January transfer window, which would then provide him and City with a chance to find him a permanent move elsewhere.
Everton star could follow Grealish out of the door
The former Aston Villa attacking midfielder is not the only Everton player who could be on the way out of the Hill Dickinson in the winter window.
man-city-premier-league
In the summer transfer window, the Toffees swooped to sign defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard from Premier League champions Arsenal for a fee of around £7m.
He had the worst possible start to his career with the club because he sustained a groin injury that kept him out until October, which meant that he had to wait for his debut for Moyes' side.
Since his return at the start of last month, though, he has rarely been seen and rarely been used by the Scottish head coach in the Premier League and the League Cup.
REUTERS/Jon Super
The 32-year-old midfielder arrived at the club with five years of Premier League experience under his belt with Brentford and Arsenal, but he has been unable to use that experience to force his way into the manager's plans.
Since being back and available for selection, Norgaard has only featured in one of the last five Premier League matches, coming off the bench against Chelsea last month.
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|Christian Norgaard in 2026/27 Premier League|
|Opposition|Minutes|
|---|
|Coventry City|0|
|Newcastle United|0|
|Arsenal|0|
|Chelsea|19|
|Hull City|0|
In 19 minutes of that 2-0 defeat to the Blues, the Dane lost both of his duels, was dribbled past once, did not make any tackles or interceptions, and did not create any chances for his side.
After that lack of impact on the pitch against Chelsea, Norgaard has not been seen in any of the three Premier League games since then, as he was an unused substitute for the 3-1 win against Coventry last time out.
He did get eight minutes off the bench in the win over Newcastle in the League Cup, but the defensive midfielder did nothing of note in his short time on the pitch.
James Garner, Harrison Armstrong, Hayden Hackney, and Carlos Alcaraz have all made more appearances and played more minutes in central midfield in the league this season, which suggests that Norgaard is way down the pecking order at the moment.
REUTERS/David W Cerny
The emergence of Armstrong, who has started all ten league games at the age of 19, may be why the Denmark international has not been as needed as they perhaps expected him to be when they sanctioned a £7m deal for a 32-year-old in the summer.
Therefore, the ex-Arsenal man could find himself in a position where he already needs to evaluate his future in the January window, due to his lack of game time, which could see him follow Grealish out of the door after just ten Premier League games this season.