Jack Grealish makes two sacrifices to make Man City transfer decision
The midfielder's value has dipped since his £100million transfer to Manchester, and it was widely anticipated that he would leave during the current window. Pep Guardiola sanctioned his exit after struggling to give him regular game time in the season's final months.
Everton have now stepped up to take Grealish on loan, but this leaves the ex-Aston Villa star facing uncertainty about his future again in 12 months - something he had hoped to avoid.
The 29-year-old's switch has also seen him cool his desire to play in the Champions League, reports the BBC. Grealish wanted to remain playing in Europe but neither Newcastle, nor Tottenham, two teams who were linked with him, came forward with an offer.
Grealish will instead help spearhead Everton's first season at their new state-of-the-art Hill Dickinson Stadium with the loan switch potentially costing the Toffees over £10m once a fee and wages are accounted for.
Across his time in Manchester Grealish has made more than 150 appearances, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup. He was key in their treble triumph but last term only made seven league starts as City ended the season without winning a major trophy.
Guardiola then left him out of the club's squad for the Club World Cup in the USA, further underlining his decline. It is understood that City were willing to help facilitate Grealish's exit, which was seen as the best solution for all parties, with the Catalan understanding when it came to his player's position.
He said at the end of last season: "It's not [only] Jack. There is not one player in my locker room, and I think all the locker rooms around the world, that is happy [when they] do not play. When the team is winning and winning they have to figure out how everything happens – but they are not happy. They are here to play and, when they don't play, they are not satisfied. That is the normal position in all the clubs."
Among Grealish's motivations for making the move to Everton was the chance to impress England boss Thomas Tuchel and put himself back in the shop window. The playmaker missed out on the Euro 2024 squad and has confessed he was "heartbroken".
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