Demarai Gray now surely ready to empty locker at Everton as Fulham transfer news emerge
Fulham are interested in signing Everton forward Demarai Gray this summer and given his lack of minutes he may well be ready to empty his Goodison locker.
According to Sky Sports News, Premier League rivals Fulham are interested in signing Gray this summer, with his future on Merseyside unclear.
The former Leicester City man was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for just £1.7m in 2021. However, things haven’t quite turned out well during his two years at the club with Everton avoiding relegation in consecutive seasons and his lack of starts under Sean Dyche last season.
In a tweet shared by Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, he said: “Exclusive: Fulham are interested in signing Everton winger Demarai Gray. His availability is not yet known but Fulham have made an inquiry. Other clubs are keen as well.”
Given Fulham’s incredible progress under former Everton boss Marco Silva last season and the Toffees’ consistent flirting with relegation, Gray may already be emptying his Finch Farm locker to head to West London.
On his day, the former Leicester City man is indeed unplayable possessing great skill, speed, technical acumen and influence in the final third to be an effective winger at any club in the Premier League.
Previously hailed as “inspirational” by Martin Keown – the Everton winger possesses undeniable pace and creativity which could cause chaos for any defence, averaging 1.2 key passes, 1.7 shots on goal and one successful dribble per game last season.
But, that simply hasn’t happened consistently at Goodison Park. When fans largely called for Dyche to start him at certain points during Everton’s Premier League safety quest last season, the former Burnley boss decided against it, keeping the faith with Dwight McNeil and Alex Iwobi, which ultimately handed the Toffees their English top-flight lifeline.
Gray may well be feeling his time is up at Everton. The Birmingham-born wing wizard is now reaching his peak years, with him turning 27 at the end of this month and he certainly doesn’t want to be settling for a place on the bench any longer.
His career is stagnating somewhat, and it’s clear Dyche no longer sees him as a crucial part of his Goodison revolution.
Considering his preference for McNeil and Iwobi and the Toffees also targeting Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson, it remains to be seen whether Gray will be putting on an Everton shirt next season.