Now he's hoping to reignite his career at Hill Dickinson Stadium, sporting the No 18 shirt that his idols Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne famously wore at Everton, but his pen grip has caused chaos
19:50, 12 Aug 2025Updated 19:52, 12 Aug 2025
So odd . . .
So odd . . .(Image: Everton FC)
Jack Grealish has signed for Everton – but fans are more baffled by his pen-holding style than his career trajectory. The England winger has joined the Toffees on a season-long loan from Manchester City, with Everton having the option to make it permanent next summer for a cool £50m.
Everton will be footing most of Grealish's wages, which are rumoured to total around £12m. Grealish, 29, made the move to City in 2021 as part of a whopping £100m deal but has since fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola.
Now he's hoping to reignite his career at Hill Dickinson Stadium, sporting the No 18 shirt that his idols Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne famously wore at Everton.
Jack, stop this
Jack, stop this(Image: Everton FC)
However, fans have noticed something really weird about Grealish, after photos of him signing his contract went viral.
Fans took to social media to point it out, as he appears to hold his pen between his second and third fingers.
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And when one asked X's artificial intelligence bot Grok why he does this, it said: “Jack Grealish's fist-like pen grip is a quirky habit that's amused fans since 2022, seen in signing photos. He hasn't explained it publicly—likely just how he learned as a kid. No deeper reason found in interviews or reports.”
Despite what Grok says, Grealish has held a pen in public like this since 2015 when he signed his first professional contract with boyhood club Aston Villa.
One fan wrote: “Never in my life have I seen an adult hold a pen like Jack Grealish.” And a second joked: “Is Jack Grealish the only person on Earth to hold pens like this?”
A third said: “bro cant shoot, dribble, pass and now cant hold a pen? Bruh.” And a fourth said: “had a classmate in primary school who held it so, a couple of us found it so weird we even practiced it.”
Despite that, Jack was thrilled to sign, and said: “I'm over the moon to have signed for Everton - It's massive for me, honestly. This is a great club, with great fans. "As soon as I spoke to the manager, I knew there was only one place that I wanted to go.
"On social media, I've been flooded with messages from Everton supporters, so there's that side of it as well and that's another reason why I chose Everton. I want to say thank you to the fans for all of the messages I've had already. Thank you for all of the love and support. I hope I can repay you now and I'm sure I will."
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