Everton make progress in talks over Grealish loan

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The 29-year-old player has lost his position at City and was excluded from their squad for the concluding Premier League match of the season against Fulham, as well as for the Club World Cup hosted in the United States.

Sources have informed BBC Sport that a deal for Grealish, who is said to earn £300,000 weekly, is not yet on the verge of being finalized outside of City.

Grealish transferred to City from Aston Villa in August 2021 for a then British record fee of £100 million and has since made over 150 appearances, securing three Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the FA Cup.

However, he only started seven league matches last season as City finished the season without clinching a major trophy.

In the FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace, he found himself on the sidelines while manager Pep Guardiola opted for Argentine teenager Claudio Echeverri to make his debut.

In June, it was reported that Grealish desired a fresh start and a permanent new club, yet it appears he may now need to consider a loan transfer.

Although he would have liked to join a Champions League team, no offers have been made from clubs such as Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur.

A transfer to Everton might not afford him the chance to compete in European football, but it would allow him to revitalize his career and take the spotlight at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Grealish is also striving to regain his position in the England squad after revealing last summer that he felt "heartbroken" upon being excluded from the Three Lions selection for the 2024 European Championship.

On another note, Tottenham is negotiating with City regarding a potential transfer for Brazilian winger Savinho.

Grealish's diminishing role at City

Jack Grealish's past two years have been challenging, following the pinnacle of his career during the most successful season he experienced.

He played a crucial part in Manchester City's historic Treble in 2022-23, starting the FA Cup final and all seven knockout matches as the team won the Champions League for the first time.

In the Premier League, only six outfield players from City had more playing time than Grealish.

However, a hamstring injury disrupted his progress early in the 2023-24 season, leading him to finish with more yellow cards (seven) than total goals and assists (six) across all competitions.

He participated in only 40% of the total minutes played by City, even though he was part of the squad 82% of the time.

Last season, his involvement dropped to 30%, marking a low point in his career. Of the six starts he made after Christmas, three were against opponents from lower leagues in the FA Cup, and his total of 16 starts was the fewest in a campaign since he was just 20 years old.

Consequently, it is not surprising that this has also been his least effective season in terms of chances created and dribbling success since his return to the Premier League in 2019.

The structure of the City's team has rarely given Grealish the freedom to take on defenders and smoothly maneuver past them as he did with such ease when he was the charismatic captain at his childhood club, Aston Villa.

The pressing question now is whether the sociable 29-year-old can turn around the declining path of his career.

Can Grealish reclaim his status as the main player again?

Lately, Grealish has become more familiar with the bench rather than being on the pitch, so if his transfer to Everton goes through, his initial challenge will be to prepare himself both physically and mentally to participate in significantly more football than he has over the last two years.

Everton experienced a revitalization after Moyes took over in January, moving up the league to secure a 13th place finish, yet they have found it difficult to sustain that drive with major recruitment this summer.

Should he join, Grealish would be a standout signing as the club anticipates their inaugural season at the stunning new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has demonstrated through his choices of players like Marcus Rashford and Kyle Walker that he is willing to select those who may not be actively favored at their clubs.

This offers Grealish a glimmer of hope that he has not entirely lost his chance with England in a World Cup year.

Regaining his form could potentially lead him to an overseas journey next summer, but if that remains out of reach, it may result in further disappointment for him when the England squad for the tournament is announced.

The responsibility thus lies squarely with Grealish at Everton.

The peaks...

Grealish described it as a "dream come true" when he became the first British player to be bought for £100m by joining City from Aston Villa in August 2021.

He was undoubtedly the standout player at Villa, rising through the academy ranks to emerge as a free-spirited talent who contributed to the team’s promotion from the Championship and reestablishment in the Premier League.

During his inaugural season with City, Grealish appeared in 26 Premier League matches, scoring three goals and assisting on three others as they narrowly surpassed Liverpool by one point to clinch the title once more.

However, it was the following season when he truly found his rhythm, playing a crucial part in City finally achieving the elusive Champions League trophy, as well as securing their third consecutive league title and the FA Cup.

In total, Grealish participated in 50 games across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing 11 assists—his significance to the team illustrated by the fact that he started all seven of their knockout matches in Europe.

"The most important thing to me right now is that I feel loved," Grealish expressed during that season. "I sense a real trust from the manager."

He became the symbol of Manchester City's joyous celebrations after they returned from Istanbul with the European trophy and it was expected he would continue to advance, yet his career has instead taken an unforeseen downward turn.

The setbacks...

Grealish committed himself after he and his teammate Phil Foden received a warning from Guardiola regarding their behavior, as they had been seen enjoying a night out in December 2021.

He suffered a hamstring injury in the 2023-24 season, managing only 10 starts overall, and found himself frequently overlooked for the quicker and more straightforward Jeremy Doku once he was back to full fitness.

At the conclusion of that season, he accumulated more yellow cards (seven) than the total of his goals and assists combined (six), participating in merely 40% of the total minutes played by City.

Having earned 39 caps for England, Grealish was omitted from the Three Lions' squad for the 2024 European Championship, where they were narrowly defeated in the final by Spain.

Several individuals close to him conveyed to BBC Sport that the exclusion's effect on him should not be minimized, indicating it had significantly influenced his confidence.

That seemed to be accurate, as things did not improve for him during the last season.

Guardiola issued another caution in January, stating: "Do I want the Jack that won the Treble? Absolutely, but I must be honest with myself regarding that. They need to fight."

In fact, his participation with the team for the past season dropped to 30%, and his total of 16 starts marked the lowest since he turned 20 years old; thus, it was no surprise that it became his least productive season since 2019.

Former England winger Theo Walcott remarked that Grealish’s "remarkable talent" had been "coached out of him," though others close to him contended that the manager had not diminished his creativity.

Grealish's time at the club clearly seemed numbered when he was left out of City’s final match of the season against Fulham. Guardiola later passionately defended his decision by noting that due to his large roster, he must exclude "five or six players" and emphasized it was "nothing personal with Jack."

However, he was also omitted from City’s squad for the Club World Cup in the United States during the summer, opting instead to train individually at the facility in Manchester.

During an open training session on 5 August, Grealish was actively participating in the tactical drills, showing no signs of wanting to leave.

There has been no public dispute between Grealish and Guardiola, but following the disappointments over the last two years, the opportunity to revive his career with the Toffees is undoubtedly one he will look forward to.