Will Jack Grealish break his all-time assists record at Everton?

Jack Grealish is already enjoying life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and playing for Everton could greatly enhance one aspect of his game.

Fate has not always been kind to Grealish, particularly over the past couple of years. The Birmingham-born playmaker missed out on the England squad for Euro 2024 after a challenging campaign at club level.

​Grealish was then recalled by Lee Carsley, and he scored last September and October against Ireland and Finland, respectively. However, he was later snubbed once more, this time by new head coach Thomas Tuchel.

These decisions by international managers have largely been down to Grealish’s diminished role at club level, due in part to his hamstring and groin injuries. Grealish only missed two matches through injury last season, but again, he only made 20 league appearances for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola instead put his trust in younger options such as Jeremy Doku and Savinho.

​Such treatment is what saw Grealish discarded by the club he called home for 4 years. Of course, Everton do not have the immediate option to make the 29-year-old’s move permanent, but it would be surprising if he found his way back into the first-team squad at Manchester City. 

Yet, even when Grealish received his fair share of games, there was something different about the way he performed for City. A striking difference compared to the freedom and enthusiasm he played with at Aston Villa.

​This has never been about Grealish experiencing a drop-off in quality or struggling to cope with the lofty expectations that come with playing at the top of the English game. Rather, it was the role Guardiola assigned him. The Spaniard’s team may have benefited, but there have been long-term consequences for Grealish on an individual level.

​Grealish was the main man at Aston Villa, and it was his creativity that drove them forward. He was free to move between the left wing and centre of the pitch, allowing him to arrive in dangerous areas and play balls into the box.

One of Grealish’s best qualities at Villa was his dribbling, but this diminished after his move to the Etihad. Indeed, Grealish attempted an average of 4.53 dribbles per 90 minutes during the 2020-21 season, his final with Aston Villa, when he recorded 10 assists. However, this figure declined at City, and in 2023-24, he only attempted 2.6 dribbles per game and registered just a single assist.

The role Grealish played at the Etihad was an important one. He sought to maintain possession of the ball, sometimes attempting to slow the game down. This involved carrying the ball backwards in order to win free kicks, a role Grealish thrived in. He was fourth in the Premier League for fouls drawn during the 2022-23 season, where he made his most league appearances for City. It was a metric he had topped during his final season at Aston Villa.

​As well as Grealish fulfilled this role, it took away the qualities which made him such a unique and dangerous player, and this was not the only reason his creativity suffered. At City, he was a very good player surrounded by at least a couple of teammates who would be considered world-class.

Kevin De Bruyne is one such player, a sensational attacking midfielder who was at the heart of almost every attacking move. To put things into context, Grealish has registered 12 assists during his four seasons at Manchester City; De Bruyne assisted four more goals than that in Grealish’s second season at the club alone.

It can be difficult to be impactful when the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden are all doing their thing. Whereas, Grealish was not allowed to take many risks, and his role was largely to tie City’s play together.

​Grealish himself admitted he was surprised by his role under Guardiola, because he spent far less time on the ball compared with his Aston Villa days. ​He told the Daily Telegraph:

“I’ve found it a lot more difficult than I thought I would, adapting to a different manager and team-mates. At first, I thought I’d have more of the ball, get more assists and goals, but it doesn’t work like that at all. I’ve had nowhere near as much of the ball as I used to get at Villa.”

​Whether those days are now over remains to be seen, though it appears likely that he will not play under Guardiola again. For the time being, the Hill Dickinson Stadium is his home, and David Moyes has already got Grealish showcasing his signature football.

​Indeed, Grealish already has more assists after 2 matches in the league than he achieved in 20 last season, and it is clear to see why. He has the freedom to cover all areas of the pitch and play a risky pass every now and then.

​Sky Sports displayed Grealish’s touch map when Everton played Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup, and it was highly impressive. The match was only 35 minutes in, but Grealish was everywhere, from dropping deep at left-back, to start attacking moves, to covering both the left side of the attack and midfield.

His ability to take the ball forward has been equally impressive. Grealish drew in defenders, played three key passes, and created a big chance which could well have resulted in an assist.​

Importantly, Grealish is now playing for a club where creativity has previously been lacking. The Toffees had the fourth-worst attack in the Premier League last season, scoring only 42 goals in 38 games. Iliman Ndiaye is more of a goalscorer than a creator, so Grealish will very much be the main chance creator at Everton, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall chipping in too.

​So then, will Grealish break his own personal Premier League assists record this season? Well, he is already one-fifth of the way there, and as his confidence continues to grow and he becomes more familiar with his teammates, he will only get better.

​If Grealish remains fit, there is every reason to believe he can secure another nine league assists and set a new personal best.

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