David Moyes has secured another important attacking addition for his Everton side by signing of Jack Grealish.
The Blues transfer business has flown relatively under the radar in comparison to cross-city rivals Liverpool ahead of the maiden campaign at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s arrival from Chelsea followed the big-money acquisition of centre-forward Thierno Barry in a £33 million deal with Villarreal.
And now Grealish has joined Everton on a season-long loan move from Manchester City, with the Blues holding the option to turn the deal permanent at the end of the season.
The 29-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements at the Etihad following his exclusion from the Club World Cup squad this summer. Now, he arrives on Merseyside with huge expectations on his shoulders and the backing of club legend Wayne Rooney.
Wayne Rooney sends message to Jack Grealish
Rooney has offered his public backing of the new Everton recruit, responding to Grealish’s message to the supporters via Instagram.
The Scouser responded to the post with three blue heart emojis among a plethora of tributes as the Englishman’s arrival has certainly sparked excitement among the Toffees’ supporters.
TBR Football exclusively revealed that David Moyes had convinced Grealish to make the switch to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, helping the Blues thwart interest from their Premier League rivals.
Tottenham also registered interest in Grealish and could, of course, offer Champions League football in North London, but the promise of guaranteed minutes during a World Cup year proved decisive.
Moyes has performed a phenomenal job with the Toffees since succeeding Sean Dyche in January, although the need for more firepower couldn’t have been more apparent with only 42 goals scored across the entirety of last season.
Nevertheless, Everton have moved to ease the burden on talisman Iliman Ndiaye and will now have a plethora of attacking options to choose from ahead of the opening fixture against Leeds United, a welcome problem for Moyes.
Jack Grealish wants to emulate Wayne Rooney at Everton
Grealish has ultimately failed to live up to his £100 million price tag after joining Manchester City from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021.
Although he played a pivotal role in the 2023 treble-winning side, he has since found himself at the bottom of the pecking order at the Etihad.
However, he is refusing to shy away from the burden of expectation at Everton and will sport the number 18 shirt this season, famously worn by Rooney and Paul Gascoigne.
Grealish hopes to emulate the England pair at the Blues, as revealed when speaking to The Guardian.
“My two favourite English players ever are Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne and I know they both wore No 18 here.
“So, as soon as I knew this deal was close, I had a look and No 18 was free, so that was perfect for me and it was the only number I was going to take from that point. I spoke to Wayne before I came here and I mentioned that to him – about the No 18 – so I hope he’s happy as well.”
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