Everton have announced the loan signing of England international Jack Grealish. The Manchester City player will join the Blues for a year with an optional buy clause for approximately £50m also added to the deal, likely purely for future valuation purposes.
Grealish will be turning 30 next month, and is the sixth Blues signing of the summer transfer window. The player shot to fame at Aston Villa before a British transfer record fee of £100 million saw him move to City in the summer of 2021.
The forward will be wearing the **#**18 shirt for the Toffees, having worn the #40 at the youth level at Villa before switching to the coveted #10, which he kept throughout his time at City as well.
Speaking about his reasons for choosing the number, Grealish said
“There is a reason for [choosing number 18]. There were other numbers but my two favourite English players ever are Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne and I know they both wore number 18 here.
”So, as soon as I knew this deal was close, I had a look and number 18 was free, so that was perfect for me and it was the only number I was going to take from that point.
”I spoke to Wayne [Rooney] before I came here and I mentioned that to him – about the number 18 – so I hope he’s happy as well!”
The **#**18 shirt at Everton was until most recently worn by Ashley Young. Before him, there have been a number of noted players to have worn the number - Niels Nkounkou (20/21 - 21/22), Morgan Schneiderlin (18/19 - 19/20), Gylfi Sigurdsson (17/18), Gareth Barry (13/14 - 17/18), Phil Neville (05/06 - 12/13), Wayne Rooney (01/02 - 03/04), Paul Gascoigne (00/01 - 01/02), Stephen Hughes (99/00), Terry Phelan (99/00), David Weir (98/99), Mickaël Madar (98/99), Joe Parkinson (93/94 - 96/97)Mo Johnston (93/94)