Everton didn’t have long to celebrate their impressive win away at Aston Villa before being hit with the worst possible news.
The Toffees grabbed a 1-0 victory at Unai Emery’s title challengers last weekend, thanks to a 59th-minute strike from Thierno Barry.
As he has been so many times this season, Jack Grealish was impressive for David Moyes’ side. The England international wasn’t his usual creative hub against his former side, but rather a secure pressure-relief valve on the ball, with nobody managing to dispossess him, a 64% success rate on ground duels, and a match-high six fouls won. Grealish also pulled his weight defensively with one tackle, two clearances and six recoveries.
But in the days since that victory — played out in front of England boss Thomas Tuchel — it’s been confirmed that Grealish has suffered a stress fracture in his foot. Moyes is yet to reveal how long the wideman will be sidelined for, but it’s sure to be an extended period.
So, just how much will Everton miss Grealish, how could they replace him, and what does it mean for his long-term future at Hill Dickinson Stadium?
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How much will Everton miss Jack Grealish?
With two goals and six assists, Grealish has more direct goal involvements than any other Everton player in the Premier League so far this season — sitting two clear of his closest rivals.
Even considering four of his six assists came during August, Grealish has still been an effective outlet for the Toffees. The 39-time England international has scored winning goals against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, without which, Everton would be four points worse off and looking at keeping them at arm’s length from the relegation zone, rather than maintaining an outside push at European qualification.
Grealish also notched another brace of assists against Brentford recently, while maintaining a steady flow of chances throughout the campaign. The Manchester City loanee is first among Everton players for chances created (38) and sixth in the Premier League in that particular metric, while his 4.17 xA is at least 0.44 clear of any other player. The fact that second-place Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (3.73) has also missed Everton’s last seven matches and has only just returned to gym work is just another kick in the teeth.
Even when his teammates haven’t converted the opportunities he’s laid up, Grealish hasn’t stopped serving, also posting team-highs for chances created (38) and through-balls completed (3), and sitting second for final third passes completed (238) and take-ons completed (23).
Everton have lacked this sort of creative outlet for years now, so to lose him in this manner is a real blow.
Who could replace Jack Grealish for Everton?
The good news for Everton is that Grealish’s injury comes as they’re getting Iliman Ndiaye back after the Africa Cup of Nations. Ndiaye was a key part of the Senegal side that went all the way at the tournament, playing in all but one match and scoring the winner in the quarter-final against Mali.
Even despite his Afcon absence, Ndiaye is still first among Everton players for completed take-ons (34), joint-first for goals (4) and second for direct goal involvements (6).
The 25-year-old has been playing on the right this season, but was Everton’s best player in 2024/25 while playing off the left flank, cutting inside onto his favoured right foot to score a team-high nine league goals and 11 in all competitions.
Ndiaye would be the prime candidate to replace Grealish, with Dwight McNeil and Tyler Dibling either moving onto the right flank, or Moyes rotating the three across both sides. And that’s without mentioning Carlos Alcaraz, who is also closing in on a return to fitness.
There is also still time left in the transfer window for Everton to dip into the market, with in-form Fulham star Harry Wilson most recently linked — though that looks more likely to be a summer move on a free transfer.
What does Jack Grealish’s injury mean for his long-term Everton future?
While not posting the sort of raw numbers Everton need long-term, Grealish has undoubtedly been their best attacking outlet this season. In fact, the Toffees have failed to win or score in the two Premier League games he’s missed so far, while the other match he’s sat out was the FA Cup exit against Sunderland, in which their only goal was from the penalty spot. That’s three games missed, zero wins, and zero open-play goals.
Everton have the option to make Grealish’s loan permanent for £50million in the summer. That would make him their joint-record signing alongside Richarlison back in 2018, and would be an incredibly steep price for a player turning 31 during the course of next season.
However, with just one year left on his Man City contract, there was always the opportunity for Everton to negotiate a cheaper deal, bringing a star name, quality technician and reliable creative outlet back to Hill Dickinson Stadium on a permanent basis.
That was before the injury, however. If this is an issue that keeps Grealish out for a number of months and seriously affects his fitness, the powers that be at Everton might well be put off signing him permanently. Taking on that sort of salary and parting with a large fee with a player with injury problems and little long-term resale value is not something Everton have been prepared to do in recent times, nor could they afford to, given the PSR battles they’ve had to fight over the last few years.