In and amongst the good feeling that has been generated at Everton after their double header success against Newcastle, there was a nasty sting in the tail in the form of Jack Grealish’s decision to skip training in the build-up to last Thursday’s clash – something that wasn’t authorised by the club.

The disciplinary repercussions swiftly followed and it was good to see the club make an example of what is undeniably its biggest player. Biggest, but not most important. Far from it. In fact, one can only wonder what this latest off-field episode means for the dwindling career of the likeable Grealish.

A Signing About Everything but Football

Passionate and dedicated fans of the club were hardly welcoming the former Aston Villa man with open arms and bunting when he signed for a second loan spell on deadline day. Perhaps that is partly due to what was an otherwise nightmarish transfer window conclusion, but the more likely explanation is that a lot of Evertonians knew that this signing was about everything but the actual football that takes place on the field.

Signing Grealish for a second spell was romantic, it attracted the eyes of thousands of casual observers and it was a dream scenario for those in the PR department. However, as far as on-field matters are concerned, Blues fans knew better than to get their hopes up too readily.

The Warning Signs Were There

Going into the new season Grealish was a 31-year-old wide man coming off the back of a long-term injury and no pre-season. Additionally, even the man himself will admit, his dedication and professionalism hardly reach the levels of Cristiano Ronaldo, with his age being a big warning sign rather than something to ignore due to his consummate work ethic.

There were also massive fears about how predictable Grealish had become towards the backend of his first spell under David Moyes. With Vitalii Mykolenko offering virtually nothing in an attacking sense down the outside of him, a lot of teams worked out pretty quickly that if you double up on him, he doesn’t have the pace to get down the outside nor the killer skill or pass to cut inside and find an assist. Simply put, Grealish’s last couple of games in a blue shirt saw him slow the game down, keep the ball and win a free-kick to polite applause.

This campaign has brought much of the same. The Carabao Cup fixture against Wolves again saw Grealish worryingly unable to get beyond his man or create anything meaningful when on the ball, with keeping possession and drawing cheap fouls the zenith of his ambitions in his time on the pitch. Yes, he was returning to match fitness at the time, but he was playing against an unmotivated and much-changed Championship outfit and didn’t look even close to being a class above.

Football Has Moved On

Nothing we have seen since has changed this outlook. Football has moved on and Grealish hasn’t. In an era where you have to be superbly athletic to play the modern game or provide goals and assists from all angles a la Harry Kane if you lack the requisite pace, it seems that Grealish has remained ensconced in the image of being a Gazza-type throwback.

The problem is that, unlike Gazza, Grealish is far from being one of the most talented players of his era and, like Gazza, his lack of discipline and perhaps lack of natural pace is unfortunately catching up with him, with the Premier League representing an unforgiving exposé of his limitations.

Patience Runs Out

The man on loan from Man City was massively getting away with it early on in the season due to David Moyes’ desire for experience and knowhow and seemingly inherent suspicion of youngsters who are “raw” – namely Tyrique George.

Ask any Evertonian, however, and they would say that George has impressed far more than the underwhelming Grealish on the left-hand side, with patience running out with the latter’s lack of effectiveness in the final third.

If patience was wearing thin on the pitch with the supporters, then it ran out in double quick time off it with the management when Grealish decided to skip training without the express permission of the club and Everton have ruled with an iron fist since.

The concerning thing for Grealish is that the Blues are desperately short on numbers and are hardly known for their creative excellence or invention in the final third, but the news that their top earner and highest profile player will be absent from matchday squads has hardly been met with unanimous worry.

The logic dictates that George will now be given a deserved run in the side, so if anything this could prove something of a blessing in disguise, and there aren’t many who have too much sympathy given this isn’t Grealish’s first display of unprofessionalism and it isn’t the first time that his dedication to on-pitch matters has been called into question when faced with the temptations of off-pitch luxuries.

So Where Next for Grealish?

So where next for Jack Grealish? There wasn’t a chance he was making it anywhere near the Man City side this season and he has exhibited all of the on-field limitations Toffees fans were concerned about while also once more failing to show the requisite dedication needed to play at this level for a prolonged period.

Everton gave Grealish’s floundering career a shot in the arm in his first loan spell and ignored all the valid concerns to give him a second go when not many others would have taken him given his age, wages and depreciating value on the pitch.

With everything that he has shown so far in 2026-27, Everton’s highest paid player is fast running out of options for what has become a sad, albeit predictable, decline in the latter stage of his career.