Grealish-esque signing: Everton ready late move for "special" £50m star
da heads bet： What a sensational start it was for Jack Grealish as an Everton player. The Toffees’ first professional game at their state-of-the-art new ground, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, was memorable thanks to a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
da mrbet： Grealish made all the difference for David Moyes’ side, assisting both of the goals to help secure the three points for his new club, including a fizzing left-footed cross to pick out Illiman Ndiaye for the opener.
Grealish could prove to be one of Everton’s best pieces of business in the transfer market this summer, and more signings might yet join him.
Everton plotting late move for £50m addition
The Toffees were able to secure the signing of Tyler Dibling from Southampton in the last couple of days. The Saints academy graduate made the move to Merseyside for a fee in the region of £40m, including add-ons.
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However, he might not be the last addition made by Moyes this summer. According to a report from TBR Football, Everton are one of the sides in the race to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher.
They are said to be one of the sides who could ‘make a late attempt’ to bring the former Chelsea star to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
However, this will not be a straightforward battle. Gallagher is wanted by five other Premier League clubs, including Crystal Palace, where he was once on loan, and Manchester United.
As for a price if he was to make a permanent move, it was revealed in July that the England star is available for £50m.
Why Gallagher would be a good signing
If the Toffees were to acquire the services of Gallagher before Monday’s deadline, they would be bringing a “special” midfielder to the club, as Statman Dave described him. He has played in the top flight for Chelsea, his boyhood club, as well as loan spells at Palace and West Brom.
At just 25 years of age, Gallagher is an incredibly experienced player. He has played 136 times in the top flight of England, scoring 18 times and assisting 13. He has also shown great versatility, playing mainly as an eight but also as a defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder and out wide on the right.
Of course, the Cobham graduate has spent the past 12 months in Spain playing for Diego Simeone’s Atleti. He made 52 appearances last term for the club, chipping in with ten goals and assists. That included a strike against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
This potential Everton move for Gallagher is certainly Grealish-esque, in a couple of ways. Firstly, the former Aston Villa star is an England international just like Gallagher, with the pair having played together five times for the Three Lions, as per Transfermarkt.
On top of that, they have both departed some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Grealish switched to Merseyside from Manchester City on a loan deal that could turn permanent, and, of course, Gallagher will be departing the Spanish capital and Atleti to join Moyes’ side.
If Gallagher can have anything like the sort of impact Grealish has already had for Everton, he will be well on his way to becoming a successful addition.
As per Sofascore, Grealish created three chances and won six duels on his home debut, setting up both his side’s goals.
Gallagher will bring tenacity off the ball and a goal threat in possession. The stats from his two Premier League seasons with Chelsea highlight just that, with the defender averaging 3.8 and 3.6 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes in each of the respective seasons, and had an expected goal involvement tally of 0.23xGI and 0.22xGI each game, respectively.
Gallagher – 2 PL seasons for Chelsea
Stat (per 90)
2022/23
2023/24
Key passes
1.2
1.5
Passes completed
37.6
50.7
Expected goal involvements
0.23xGI
0.22xGI
Tackles
2.5
2.4
Interceptions
1.3
1.2
Stats from Sofascore
It is easy to see how this move could be similar to that of Grealish. The 25-year-old would also be leaving one of Europe’s biggest clubs for the Blue half of Merseyside, and is looking to secure his England place in a World Cup year.
For both club and player, this could be a fantastic move ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.