Everton fans still don’t know whether they’ll be watching Jack Grealish at the Hill Dickinson Stadium again next season.
The winger is now back with Manchester City, having remained at Everton’s training ground in the weeks after the season ended.
What should Everton be willing to pay to bring back Grealish over the summer? 💰
That had been a pleasing sight for fans, but he has now returned to his parent club after his loan officially ended at the start of the month.
It’s been suggested that Grealish could yet get a new lease of life at City, with new manager Enzo Maresca reportedly keen to take a look at him.
Today, it’s been suggested by The Athletic that Everton are ready to wait to sign Grealish, but arguably, this is a smart approach.
Everton ready to play the long game with Jack Grealish, which is smart
The Athletic have reported: “Another key factor will be when he actually returns to full fitness. There is no guarantee yet over his return date, or indeed whether he will definitely be fit for the start of the new campaign.
“Everton will want him to be ready to play more or less immediately, and are expected to play the waiting game during the final stage of his recovery before deciding whether to push ahead with a deal.”
This may frustrate some who are desperate to see Grealish return.
But at least this way, Everton are saving on paying his wages for a few weeks. The club also know that Grealish knows how the team plays and what David Moyes wants from him tactically.
It will just be a case of him slotting back in, and there will likely not be much of a bedding-in period.
From here, as the weeks go on, City’s leverage will diminish. And there could even be a desperation to get his wages off the books.
There is also the possibility of nothing happening with Grealish up until the very final days of the window. If City decided they don’t want to keep him, there could be a good chance of a huge cut-price move.
But, of course, this approach by Everton isn’t without risk.
He is now back at City and it’s very possible his head could turn to wanting a renaissance there.
It isn’t out of the question that Maresca could try to bring him back into the fold.
But certainly, Everton are taking a potentially smart approach and hopefully, it will work out in their favour, with Grealish turning out in a darker shade of blue next season.
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