Everton is a great fit for Grealish - but he still has plenty to prove to fans

Jack Grealish is an infectious character and a prodigiously talented footballer but it has been a while since we have seen that prodigious talent in full bloom. A long while.

Grealish instantly became popular with Evertonians, which was happily predictable. It is very hard not to like Jack.

And when he makes the sort of contributions he made early in his Everton loan spell, that adds to his allure. In the new stadium, Grealish brought a much-needed sprinkling of stardust.

And in his short, initial stay, he represented the club fantastically well, which he will do in his second spell at Hill Dickinson Stadium. But by committing substantial funds to a second loan deal, Everton are still taking a gamble.

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Grealish is a footballer who needs to prove the magic is still there, simple as that. His playing time ended last season in mid-January, thanks to a stress fracture in his foot, but his 22-game stint with David Moyes’ side was widely seen to have been a success.

But that was only true to a point. After four assists in his first three games, Grealish then went 14 Premier League matches without another. He scored twice in 22 appearances.

Statistics are not everything but in Grealish’s game, they are important. They do not tell the complete story, far from it. But they do not tell a complete lie, either.

Grealish has made 20 Premier League appearances in each of the last three seasons and in that total of 60 games, he has registered six goals and eight assists. In what turned out to be his penultimate game last season, he picked up two late yellow cards for petulance in a home draw against Wolves.

Moyes was annoyed with him after that sending-off but is clearly fond of what Grealish brings to the pitch and to the dressing-room But when he became the first British player to cost £100million - back in August, 2021 - few would have predicted that the last two years of his six-year deal would be spent out on loan.

It is a fall from grace, no matter how you dress it up. But Grealish only turns 31 next week and has plenty of time to re-establish himself as a truly elite performer.

Everton have made a reasonably encouraging start to the season and the £40million capture of Folarin Balogun will add a new, very welcome striking dimension to the side. Grealish has the brilliance and the ebullience to be at the heart of a rewarding campaign for Everton.

And he should not be short of motivation. He knows he can quickly become as revered at Everton as he once was at Aston Villa.

And he also has the target of an international return to aim at. That is a long shot right now but Thomas Tuchel is an admirer of his mercurial talent and just needs Grealish to show it week in, week out, over a lengthy period of time.

Considering he only has a year of his Manchester City contract to run, Everton are, in a way, lucky to get Grealish for another loan spell. But he is lucky to get Everton. Because Grealish is still a player with plenty to prove.

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