Moyes Evaluates Grealish and George Futures at Everton
David Moyes has left the door open – and firmly ajar – on Jack Grealish and Tyrique George, admitting Everton are yet to decide whether either loanee will be signed permanently.
Grealish, borrowed from Manchester City last summer, had begun to look at home in royal blue before a broken foot cut his season short. Across 18 Premier League starts, the 30-year-old produced two goals and six assists, knitting Everton’s attacks together and offering the kind of composure on the ball Goodison has craved.
Then came the break, the surgery, and the long rehab.
Now, as he edges back towards fitness, the picture around him has shifted again. Guardiola is gone, City have confirmed his departure, and Grealish is due back at a club under new management with a contract at the Etihad running until 2027. Any permanent move will not be simple, financially or politically.
Moyes, though, is not ready to push for an answer just yet.
“We’ve got two players on loan and, obviously, at the moment, they go back to their clubs and we’ll take it from there,” he said at his pre‑Tottenham press conference. “As the summer goes on, we’ll decide what path we’re going to take on both of them. We like Tyrique, obviously we like Jack a lot – but we’ve not got an answer yet.”
What is clear is the manager’s determination to look after Grealish while the decision-makers weigh up the numbers. Everton have kept the forward at Finch Farm during his recovery rather than sending him back to City, a small but telling show of faith.
“We’ve looked after Jack since his injury and his injury is coming on,” Moyes explained. “He had quite a bad break in his foot, which has been pinned and it’s looking in good order now. The surgeon has been speaking very well about it and thinks it’s healing greatly. Normally a player would go back to their parent club when injured and be looked after from there but we’ll continue doing our best for Jack.”
That last line will not be lost on Grealish. Nor on City’s new head coach.
George waits in the wings
If Grealish arrived as the headline act, Tyrique George slipped in through a side door in January. The 20‑year‑old forward joined from Chelsea with a reputation as a sharp, technical attacker, but chances have been scarce in a squad fighting on several fronts.
One Premier League start. Just 182 league minutes. It is hardly a body of work on which to build a transfer case.
Yet Moyes’ language around the youngster was strikingly warm.
“We’ve enjoyed having Tyrique here – he’s been an excellent boy and his work-rate and everything has been excellent, so we’re happy with him,” he said.
That kind of endorsement matters. Managers do not hand out praise lightly to young loanees who may never play for them again. Everton’s recruitment team now face a familiar question: do they back the manager’s instincts on potential, or insist on more evidence before committing scarce funds?
The pressure of Premier League survival has limited George’s exposure, but his attitude and training levels have clearly hit the mark. If Everton move, they will be doing so on character and promise as much as on performances.
Mykolenko deal close
While the futures of Grealish and George hang in the balance, one key piece of Everton’s defensive core looks set to be tied down.
Moyes confirmed the club are “very close” to agreeing a new contract with Vitalii Mykolenko, a significant step as the full‑back continues to grow in stature. Locking in the Ukraine international would give Everton stability on the left side at a time when so much else feels fluid.
For now, though, the spotlight lingers on the two loanees.
Grealish, the marquee name trying to reboot his career after injury, and George, the raw talent desperate for a proper run. Everton like both. The numbers, the strategy, and the new landscape at Manchester City and Chelsea will decide the rest.
The question is simple enough: in a summer of hard choices, who do Everton believe can carry them forward?
