When Everton signed Jack Grealish on a season-long loan from Manchester City in the summer, there was great fanfare.
Jack Grealish certainly met those expectations and actually over-delivered during the first part of the season.
Grealish registered four assists in his first two Premier League games, and immediately put the rest of the division on notice.
Since then, the output has slowed down, but he still remains one of the top playmakers with six assists, only behind Rayan Cherki and Bruno Fernandes.
With that said, Everton have a decision to make on Grealish as they have an option to buy him at the end of the season.
Fabrizio Romano believes the Toffees will look to sign Grealish permanently, but here’s why it makes zero sense to do that.
Everton must not sign Jack Grealish because the Premier League is moving on
Grealish is, of course, a fantastic wide player and is one of the best in the country at retaining possession.
The 39-cap England international has also contributed eight goal involvements this term, which is a respectable tally.
But, in recent months, Grealish’s productivity has drastically dipped, and there is a shift occurring in the Premier League which is going to impact the Toffees star.
The division is moving away from the possession-based style, and many of the wide players are pacey and dynamic with explosive attributes.
Would you even pay £30m for Jack Grealish? 🫣
Take Jeremy Doku for example, the man who replaced Grealish at Man City. He’s been a huge upgrade on the former Aston Villa talisman, as the top teams are moving towards attackers who are excellent in both possession and in transitions.
Doku is a lot more direct, too, and can open up teams in a variety of different ways, including running in behind, give-and-goes, and beating his full-back one-on-one.
Unfortunately, Grealish doesn’t have that skillset, so his profile is starting to go somewhat out of fashion, unless he converts into a more central role.
The finances attached to signing Jack Grealish permanently are eye-watering
Grealish is Everton’s highest earner as he reportedly takes home around £225,000-a-week, which is around £11.7m-a-year.
So, if Everton were to sign him permanently and offer him a standard four-year contract, that’d cost the club £46m on wages alone.
That’s even without the transfer fee, with the buy-option currently listed at £50m. Even if the Friedkin Group were able to bargain that down to £30m, it would still make absolutely no sense to strike a deal.
Who would be your dream Everton signing this month? 👀
The total package could be worth £76m to have Grealish for the next four years, and by that point, he’ll be 34-years-old.
Everton would be much better off recruiting a younger and much cheaper Premier League-proven winger, like a Kevin Schade at Brentford or even a Jarrod Bowen, if West Ham United suffer relegation.
Moyes did consider signing Brennan Johnson before he joined Crystal Palace, so perhaps the club are already planning for life without Grealish.
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