Everton are set to explore the potential to extend the 30-year-old's stay at the club for a second season
Jack Grealish looks on prior to the Carabao Cup third round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton at Molineux. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
Jack Grealish looks on prior to the Carabao Cup third round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton at Molineux. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
View Image
Everton are keen to extend Jack Grealish's stay at the club beyond the summer.
The loanee, who scored twice and provided six assists before suffering a serious injury, has been a welcome presence around the club for his Blues teammates and manager David Moyes.
There is a belief that he could continue to help the club’s rapid growth beyond his recovery and, as previously reported by the ECHO, a desire from Moyes to pursue an extension. Grealish has remained at Finch Farm for his rehabilitation and his enthusiasm to continue his engagement with all aspects of the club, including the work of charity Everton in the Community, has boosted hopes that he too would be happy to extend his stay.
FOLLOW OUR EVERTON FC FACEBOOK PAGE!Latest EFC news and analysis from via the Liverpool Echo’s dedicated FB page
Grealish, currently recovering from a stress fracture to his left foot that has ruled him out since mid-January, has been central to the transformation of the club during a statement first full season under new ownership. His arrival from the Etihad was a milestone step for the Friedkin Group and Moyes as they started a much-needed rebuild of the playing squad in the summer.
The ability to attract a Champions League winner with an international reputation added weight to the idea Everton, after years of struggle on and off the pitch, were at the dawn of a new era.
The 30-year-old, who has credited the form he enjoyed in his opening months with a rekindling of his love for the game inspired by his experiences at Everton, was a transformational signing beyond the new image of the club projected by the deal.
He provided the assists for both goals in the win over Brighton and Hove Albion that celebrated the opening of Hill Dickinson Stadium and was mobbed by a jubilant away end after leading Everton to a thrilling win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in August.
His presence was key to inspiring the belief that led Everton to wins at Manchester United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, where the club had miserable longstanding records. It was his goal that secured the win on the south coast and his other strike sparked similar scenes of joy when it sealed a late home win against Crystal Palace.
The stress fracture that looks set to have ended his campaign emerged in the aftermath of the January win at Villa Park. Cruelly, Grealish had produced his latest stellar performance with England manager Thomas Tuchel in the crowd and had appeared on the cusp of a return to the international setup in the build up to this summer’s World Cup.
Moyes was devastated by the loss of such a significant player but their relationship has continued to grow, with Grealish remaining at Finch Farm for his recovery work.
The Blues boss has made clear he would consider extending Grealish’s stay but said any move would be dependent on City’s wishes and the player’s personal thoughts. He has previously likened the situation to when he revitalised Jesse Lingard’s career when he signed him on loan for previous club West Ham United - despite that move being a success he was unable to convince the attacking midfielder to extend his stay at the Hammers and so while his relationship with Grealish has flourished, he understands he cannot take that for granted given the extent of his talent and potential for rival interest.
There has been a belief at Everton that a deal for Grealish was possible since he signed on loan, though, and that remains the case. While the terms of the contract include an option to make the move permanent for £50m, that was largely seen as a notional figure. Given his wages and his fall down the pecking order of City manager Pep Guardiola, Blues chiefs have been of the opinion the club would be open to talks over a fee potentially less than half of the figure listed in the loan deal - though Everton would prefer any extension of his time with the club to again be on loan.
The belief that Grealish is obtainable will only have grown with the club’s January move for another attacking midfielder, Antoine Semenyo.
Perhaps of more importance to any deal are the wishes of Grealish himself, whose form at the start of the season is likely to have impressed other suitors regardless of his injury. His connection with Moyes will have helped on that front. It was instant, as he noted after the win at Bournemouth, when he said: "It's a brilliant team. I love the manager to pieces. I've only known him a few months and I can't speak highly enough of him as a person, how he makes me feel and how me makes me want to go and play for him. So credit to him."
His willingness to continue to base himself at Finch Farm has been noted, too, with teammates and Moyes telling the ECHO of the positive impact he is having behind the scenes. That has extended to his engagement with the activities of Everton in the Community.
As revealed by the ECHO, last month he went out of his way to attend a charity open day at the training ground despite his recovery schedule giving him the opportunity to avoid the commitments of the rest of the squad. He instead followed the other players down and played reaction games with children and chatted with pensioners before posing for selfies with others helped by the charity. This was all while on crutches and in a protective boot.
Grealish, who also met with Everton in the Community's down syndrome team last month, has been following his loan club’s fortunes closely despite his injury, too. He repeatedly shares images on social media of him watching the team in action and celebrating successes. His family has continued to fill his box at Hill Dickinson Stadium and support Everton even while he has not been on the pitch.
For Everton, the ambition is to extend Grealish’s stay into a second season, preferably on loan, and the plan is to formally explore that at the end of the current campaign.