Jack Grealish's perfect transfer destination this summer is staring him in the face
One of the most telling indictments of his career progress at Manchester City came when it emerged that team-mates considered Jack Grealish to be a 'rest station'.
Give Jack the ball and he will either keep possession or win a free-kick, allowing his colleagues to take a breather. It was supposed to be a positive, a compliment, but it was actually a dispiriting summation of Grealish's direction of travel at City.
Four years ago, he arrived at the Etihad as the epitome of the type of player who is liable to make something happen every time he gets the ball. And he eventually became the player whose main purpose appeared to be to make nothing happen, so everyone could have a break.
The flair had been replaced by functionality.
Pep Guardiola's achievements mean he rightly gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to apportioning blame for the dwindling of Grealish's influence on football matches. Most supporters will continue to believe that the player himself has not made the most of his talent in his time at City, that good spell in the Treble-winning season notwithstanding.
They will have seen the photographs of Grealish having the odd beer and they will give knowing nods. They might be right but we don't know for sure.
What we do know is the role he has been given by Guardiola is one that could probably have been filled by any number of high-quality professionals.
It was almost as though Grealish became a Pep experiment. Let's see if we can turn a £100million maverick into a cog in the machine. And in that epic season, Grealish contributed significantly towards the success.
But eventually, it has not worked out spectacularly well for either party. And now, it is surely over. Last week, Grealish reported back for training, alone as a senior pro. The squad that went to the Club World Cup without him do not report back for pre-season training until July 28.
Grealish needs to get out of there as soon as possible.
For years, I have been banging on about how Premier League clubs should not be allowed to loan players to each other and I still believe that. But the ship has sailed and it is not coming back to port.
From a romantic point of view, a return to Aston Villa would be nice but would City allow Grealish to go to a club that were, for a long time last season, close rivals? Doubtful. Would Unai Emery be an ideal boss for Grealish? Also doubtful.
There has been talk of West Ham United and that would make some sense but Everton would be the ideal destination for Grealish.
Moving into a fantastic new stadium on the river, there will be a buzz about the place next season. David Moyes has lifted the mood amongst supporters and the new owners, The Friedkin Group, have made a positive start to their stewardship.
Moyes might be associated with a slightly negative brand of play but that is unfair and in the golden years of his career, he wants to show his teams can play with a sense of style. And the fanbase love a Jack the lad.
In their new home, it is a new start for Everton and it would be the ideal place for a new start for one of England's most gifted footballers.
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