Analysis: Grealish already looking back to his best at Everton

Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 4.

Player analysis: Jack Grealish (Everton) 

Everton’s summer loan signing Grealish has a lot to celebrate right now. 

In the week he turned 30, the England international, on a season-long loan from Manchester City, sits top of the Premier League assist chart with four from just two starts, which has earned him the EA SPORTS Player of the Month award for the first time in his career.

The very best players have an ability to choose the right action at the right moment and Grealish is making a habit of doing that in an Everton shirt.

It is early days of course, so his numbers should be treated with a degree of caution, but at key junctures his clarity of thought has been impressive.

His first assist for the Toffees in a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion featured two excellent pieces of decision-making for example.

Initially, as play built up from the right side, Grealish made a point of retaining his width.

His mindset was to stretch out Brighton’s defence from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s pass, as shown below, rather than be drawn towards a central run to be played in on goal.

Grealish's positioning forced the Seagulls to recover their positions quickly towards the near post, with the eyes of all their defenders focused on him.

This ball-watching left Iliman Ndiaye undetected at the far post.

Yet to find him, Grealish’s cross needed to be played in at pace, and that is exactly the choice he made, executing his delivery with aplomb.

Grealish's assist v Brighton

Grealish also made the perfect call to loop a square header into the six-yard box for Beto to score against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Some may have been tempted to go for goal, or to place their header downwards towards the feet of the striker, but Grealish’s deft header was the right option as it made the finish much easier.

Are Everton a better fit for Grealish?

It looks as though Grealish is enjoying the experience of playing for a side that does not encounter low defensive blocks week in, week out.

Under David Moyes, Everton are averaging just 43.19 per cent possession (the fourth-lowest) adopting a transitional style of play.

As a terrific ball carrier, Grealish will welcome the extra space to run into from turnovers, as witnessed when he raced down the middle before slipping a through-ball to Dewsbury-Hall to score at Molineux.

Opponents still try to double up on him when they are set in their shape, but in these kind of moments Grealish will always carry a big threat.

His ball-carrying undoubtedly provides Moyes’ side with a valuable new dimension.

Everton's top ball carriers 25/26

Grealish is by some distance Everton's most likely player to run with the ball at his feet.

This graphic below illustrates those carries, with almost all of them inside a 15-yard channel wide on the left.

Falling foul

Since the start of 2019/20, Grealish has been fouled a competition-high 485 times and that pattern has continued at his new club.

He has always been a handy player when it comes to winning free-kicks as Grealish is adept at drawing mistimed challenges from frustrated defenders.

In Everton’s 3-2 success at Wolves last time out, for example, he was upended on seven different occasions.

Grealish has now been fouled nine times in 2025/26, second only to the 10 fouls drawn by Liverpool's Cody Gakpo.

On a per 90-minute basis, among players who have started at least twice, he tops the list.

Most fouls per 90mins 25/26

*Min. two starts

This is a quality Moyes will cherish with set-plays always a core strength of teams he has managed.

Ahead of Matchweek 4, only Chelsea and Arsenal have had more attempts from set-pieces than the Toffees, who also rank third for Expected Goals (xG) from dead-ball situations, on 2.06xG.

Efficient and disciplined

It would be easy to get carried away by Grealish’s four early season assists.

He has produced those goal involvements from just five key passes, yet 12 other Premier League performers have registered more to date, including team-mate Dewsbury-Hall, with eight.

Ex-Leicester City and Chelsea midfielder Dewsbury-Hall has also made three big chances to Grealish’s two, yet has only a solitary assist to show for it.

So, while Grealish's efficiency should be praised, his current output may not be sustainable.

Moyes has also kept a tight tactical leash on his new maverick talent.

Grealish enjoys drifting infield from the left into central attacking midfield positions, but those forays have been limited.

Hugging the touchline, he has displayed incredible discipline when it comes to supplying width on that left-hand side. 

From those areas Grealish can still play incisive through-balls; his three so far rank him fourth in the division.

The clever 1-2 and shot coming in off the left against Wolves, as shown below, is also a signature move Everton supporters can expect to see repeated from Grealish in the weeks ahead.

Now entering his prime, there are clear signs that this loan move has given Grealish a renewed lease of life.

While he may get fewer touches of the ball than he did at Man City, Grealish looks a natural fit within a side that is at its best from transitions.

His decision to make this loan switch has so far proved to be a very wise one.

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