--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-27T14:24:05.619Z last_updated: 2026-07-27T12:00:00+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/manchester-city/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFuY2hlc3RlcmV2ZW5pbmduZXdzLmNvLnVrL3Nwb3J0L2Zvb3RiYWxsL3RyYW5zZmVyLW5ld3Mvd2F0Y2hlZC1qYWNrLWdyZWFsaXNoLXJlZGlzY292ZXItbG92ZS0zNDM1Nzg1MA --- # I watched Grealish rediscover his love for football - City can now capitalise - **Source:** - **Published:** 27 Jul - **Club:** Manchester City - **Original URL:** https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/watched-jack-grealish-rediscover-love-34357850 In the final five months of the 2024/25 campaign, Jack Grealish made just seven Premier League appearances for Manchester City. In the Pep Guardiola era, the turn of the year was a key milestone. Guardiola would decide who his first choice players were in January and, more crucially, who weren't in the plans. For Grealish, he was clearly in the latter camp. It therefore came as no surprise to see him miss out on the Club World Cup. The forward remained in the UK to finalise a transfer. On August 12, Grealish completed a loan move to Everton "There was a massive buzz around it," Everton writer at the Liverpool Echo Joe Thomas tells MEN Sport. "He's a massive name, huge reputation. Someone that had performed at the highest level. "Obviously he was a big part of that treble winning team for Manchester City and even though I think there was probably some kind of reservations over why he might have played so little the season before, and how that might impact him going forward, I think the reality was that for Everton, he felt a bit like a transformative signing. Get all the best Man City news, updates and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of the MEN! To get it, it's a simple one-two punch. "It felt like a new era for Everton. The arrival and the ability to attract someone, and afford someone, like Jack Grealish, whether it be on loan or otherwise, albeit with him having had a difficult season at Man City, it felt like the icing on the cake." Grealish hit the ground running at his new club too. He provided two assists during the first competitive game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Everton beating Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0. The 30-year-old followed that with another brace of assists at Wolverhampton Wanderers. This form quickly made him a fan favourite on Merseyside. When he scored his first goal for the club against Crystal Palace in October, Grealish had sealed the affection of his new supporters. "He was a big part in what felt like a new look Everton side that was more comfortable playing attacking, free-flowing football," Thomas explained. "He was mobbed by the away end [at Wolves] and it was very clear that there was a connection between Grealish, the fans, the manager, and the club - from a very early stage - and that never changed. "It was clear that he was growing incredibly fond of Everton, and this is a fan base that really appreciates things like that. He only scored two goals for Everton in that first six months, but both of them were dramatic late winners. "The stoppage time winner and comeback win at home to Crystal Palace, which felt like a big moment for the new stadium. That was the first real outpouring, massive moment, the fans had at the new stadium with a last minute winner - and it was Grealish who scored it. "And then he went to Bournemouth, and Bournemouth has been a miserable place for Everton for years. It's been a graveyard of Everton managers and they went there on a cold night in December, came away with a 1-0 win, and it was Jack Grealish who got it." Grealish would end his spell at Everton with two goals and six assists to his name. While a modest total compared to some forwards, Thomas believes those statistics are a 'red herring'. "His style was much bigger than that," he said. "[There was] this intelligence he brought on the pitch. It's those little things, like the way that he's so adept at protecting possession, that he's so good at winning those fouls that give the defence breathing space, that then allow the team to get up the pitch and put balls into the box where they can try and use their aerial threat to score more goals and cause more problems. "There was a footballing IQ there which we just hadn't really seen at Everton for a long time. And I think he was a living embodiment of the hope and the belief that this was a club that had its fortunes transformed." Thomas credits David Moyes with allowing Grealish the freedom to play his best football. "It felt like Grealish bought heavily into Everton," he added. "I think his relationship and the support that he got from the manager was a massive part of that. "He credited the club and the manager with essentially restoring his love for football and you could very much see that it was a two-way thing. I think it was obvious that Grealish’s success at Everton was at least in part down to the positive relationship he was clearly enjoying with David Moyes." After Grealish picked up his season-ending injury in January, the Toffees missed his presence. This was particularly true in the last seven games of the season where Everton went from contenders for Europe, to mid-table obscurity. Thomas believes, had Grealish been on the pitch, Moyes' side could have picked up more points. "You just felt that if they had someone like Jack Grealish on the pitch…" Thomas explained. "What he was exceptional at doing was just relieving pressure, breaking up play, earning those quick free kicks on the edge of your box, buying time and offering relief for everyone around him. "And I think that had they had that available to them over the final weeks of the season, I think that some of the results that ended up costing them probably wouldn't have unfolded." It goes without saying that Everton would welcome Grealish back this season if the opportunity arose, but will it? Enzo Maresca offered an olive branch to Grealish in his first press conference on Friday. City will announce their pre-season tour squad on Tuesday and were the winger to be included, you would expect he would have the chance to impress. From what he saw last season, Thomas is confident Grealish could still do a job for the Blues. "I think when you’re as talented as Jack, I think he has the ability to play at any level," he concluded. "If he has a good relationship with Enzo Maresca, I'm sure that they could build something positive at Man City again. "I think he's got the talent. It probably just depends on how many opportunities he'll get in a Man City squad that's obviously loaded with so many brilliant players. "But I think he's got the talent and if Maresca can form a relationship that gets the best out of him, like Moyes did so well last season, there's no question that the talent's there."