Everton are set to sign Tyrique George permanently from Chelsea, and there’s an argument to say he’d be an even more important acquisition than Jack Grealish.
It’s been widely reported that Everton are set to land George for around £24 million.
This is slightly less than the initial £25 million option to buy, and Everton have negotiated a lower initial payment of £18 million.
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The move comes after there were big fears that he wouldn’t return after David Moyes was reluctant to start him last season.
But those fears have been misplaced, and it’s now only a matter of time before Everton announce George as a permanent player.
And quite possibly, he could be an even more important signing than the other winger Everton had on loan last season, Jack Grealish.
Tyrique George is a more important Everton signing than Jack Grealish
George coming back is a positive step by Everton.
He may not have played an awful lot during his loan spell, having to make do with mostly cameo appearances.
But we still saw glimpses of his quality to suggest he’d be worth bringing back permanently.
Everton are also keen to bring Jack Grealish back next season, and that is something many fans want to see after a good half-season at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
For sure, that would be a really good development, and one that Grealish himself would seemingly love.
But there’s an argument here to say that Everton have already made the more important signing out of the two loan wingers.
Ultimately, George is an exciting young player with a very high ceiling.
The 20-year-old just brings something that Everton’s other wide options do not, with pace, unpredictability and directness three big staples of his game.
He’s been hailed by the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jamie Gittens for these things, with the former previously remarking how George ‘has the world at his feet’ (via Metro).
Grealish is obviously a brilliant player and it would be nice to have him back again.
But he turns 31 in a couple of months and the likelihood is that there will be no more growth. There would also be little resale value with him if they brought him back, unlike George, whose market value could become massive in a few years.
George just seems to align more with Everton’s long-term transitional project.
Since The Friedkin Group came in, several young players have either come in or been targeted. Tyler Dibling and Adam Aznou have not yet made impacts, but the hope is that they will play bigger parts for Everton in the future.
Hackney is still on the young side at 24, and Everton are also set to sign Arthur Barratt.
So although he struggled for starts last term, George looks to be in keeping with the recruitment strategy.
It’s also worth noting that there are no recorded injuries for George yet in his career, which bodes well in terms of his potential durability.
Grealish’s injury record has been a little patchy since 2020, so that’s another reason George could be a more important addition.
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