Jack Grealish in a half-and-half Everton and Manchester City shirt
(Credit: Manh Tung - Breaking Media Ltd)
Daniel Davis
Thu 16 April 2026 8:10, UK
It is only fitting that a player larger than life has evoked the biggest smiles off the pitch.
Heart-warming footage of Jack Grealish‘s antics with Everton‘s Down’s syndrome team encapsulated what his bubbly personality is all about. The 30-year-old remains a class act and has happily thrown himself into community projects since arriving on Merseyside.
It is why supporters were so quick to warm to him. He has made an effort to take selfies and engage with matchgoers, and in the process, he has embedded himself into the culture and ethos at the club. Perhaps the blood in his veins now flows a different shade of blue.
These moments will no doubt strengthen hopes that he will still be at Hill Dickinson Stadium next season, potentially permanently. Talks are ongoing with Manchester City, but they are unlikely to progress until the extent of his recovery from a foot injury becomes apparent.
Regardless, Everton are keen to keep Grealish, but they would do well to remove the emotion from the equation. Indeed, sealing a return for the ace could actually be a mistake.
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Why Everton shouldn’t sign Jack Grealish
All that is certain is that the hierarchy will not pay the £50m purchase option included in his initial loan switch from City. He had joined Everton as an unknown quantity, and that price tag, while acceptable in that it helped to seal the deal, was always going to be unrealistic.
The fact that he has been forced to sit out the rest of the season also now makes a permanent transfer at that price an impossibility. This is despite Grealish’s influential role under David Moyes, which helped him rekindle his love for the game.
Jack Grealish 25-26 (PL) Statistic
Matches (starts) 20 (18)
Minutes played 1631
Goal involvements 8
Chances created 38
FotMob rating 7.21
Moyes put the playmaker at the heart of his team and helped him shine again. Any concerns that he would be a busted flush were put to one side almost immediately, with Grealish proving that he was still one of the top-flight’s most creative talents.
However, the recruitment team still have cause to be alarmed.
Over the past three Premier League campaigns, he has scored six goals and registered eight assists while playing 3348 minutes. That is an average return, especially considering he had played for City, arguably the pinnacle of world football, for two of those years.
While he started well at Everton, registering four assists in his first three top-flight appearances, that momentum quickly faded. Over the subsequent 17 matches, he notched only two more. His two goals came from 20 games – again, nothing to shout about.
There will also be concerns over his fitness over sustained periods.
Jack Grealish Everton stats
Credit: Imago
By mid-January, Grealish had already played almost as many minutes in the league (1,632) as he had managed in his previous two campaigns combined at City. It was also his highest since 2022-23, and there are no guarantees he will be able to repeat that moving forward.
Of course, this argument has come from the head, not the heart. The latter is a much more attractive proposition, especially in an era in which the sport has been sanitised. Maverick players like Grealish are delightfully infectious but, sadly, appear to be a dying breed.
Grealish a maverick but too expensive
No one in Everton’s squad can manipulate the ball quite like him, and his team-mates know it. He has an unparalleled ability to slow down and speed up games in a split second, using his body to shift into gear. In doing so, he is adept at drawing fouls and freeing up space.
It was a travesty that his foot injury brought to an end his faint hopes of making England’s World Cup squad, but he has bounced back with a smile on his face. During his rehabilitation, he has watched Everton’s matches and rooted for them in each of them.
However, his absence has afforded the Hill Dickinson decision-makers time to reflect. They would do well to ponder on the numerous pros and cons, taking into account the sizeable financial outlay that will be required to tie down Grealish for at least another campaign.
Jack Grealish Everton WAGES
City want to sell Grealish but will hold out for a substantial fee, likely around £25m, this summer. But any amount of money would be a risk for a player who has not played for four months and won’t feature again this season, not to mention he’s now the wrong side of 30.
He is also on a salary of around £300,000, with the Toffees paying around 75 per cent of that. Indeed, the total package for his loan stint will stand at approximately £12m, half of which will cover the period in which he has been ruled out through injury. It’s a lot of money.
The bottom line is that no one really knows what version of Grealish will return, and it would make no financial sense for them to take the plunge unless they’re certain. So, while Everton are confident they will sign Grealish, it may do more harm than good.
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