Jack Grealish returns to Everton for another season-long loan

Jack Grealish is on his way back to Hill Dickinson Stadium after another loan agreement was reached with Manchester City.

A frantic deadline day saw Grealish undergo a medical ahead of completing another season-long loan move. Grealish recorded two goals and six assists in 22 appearances last season before a stress fracture in his foot curtailed his campaign.

Grealish had been linked with other teams — including his boyhood club Aston Villa — but his preference was to return to Everton, whose chief executive Angus Kinnear told BBC Radio Merseyside he had "remained in contact" with the winger.

Now fit again after doing a lot of work at Finch Farm over the summer, before he returned to Manchester City ostensibly for new manager Enzo Maresca to take a look at him up close and personal, Grealish has rejoined David Moyes’s squad and says the relationship he has built with the club was a major factor in his decision to come back:

“It feels so good. I’m so happy,” Grealish said.

“I think I’m at my best at everything in life, not just football, when I feel loved. That’s what the manager has given me, what my team-mates have given me and especially what the fans have given me.

“Every time I see an Everton fan, it’s just pure love and the way they’ve welcomed me since that first game against Leeds, I’ll never forget that. It means a lot to me and hopefully I’ve made a few Everton fans happy.

“I had a perfect time here for the first six months, then I stayed around after I got injured. I’ve been watching all the Everton games in pre-season and since the season started.

“Now I feel ready to go. I’m ready to start training tomorrow and prepare for the games.”

Grealish says his relationship with Moyes was another significant reason behind his decision to return.

“I love him, the manager. I think he’s such a great guy. He was a big reason why I wanted to come back here as well.

“I’ve had certain managers in the past where I feel I’ve played my best football under them – and he falls into that category, for sure.

“I had such a good connection with him – and the players here. I’m ready to play wherever the manager wants me and help as much as I can.”

The loan deal will extend to the end of Grealish's current deal with Manchester City, and is believed to involve Everton paying 90% of his £300k weekly salary, representing a substantial chunk of Everton's squad costs for this upcoming season.

 

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