Sean Dyche admits Everton actually tried to sign Jack Grealish in 2024 but there was one problem
Jack Grealish has won the hearts and minds of Everton supporters with his recent exploits.
Grealish has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month for August after a spectacular start to his Blues career.
David Moyes loves the Manchester City loanee and was desperate to bring him to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
However, he could have been a Toffees player sooner, if Sean Dyche had gotten his wish.
Sean Dyche reveals he tried to sign Jack Grealish for Everton
Dyche was sacked by Everton in January, and he was often held back in the transfer market by Farhad Moshiri’s chaotic ownership on Merseyside.
Dyche seems to lament that fact when talking about his pursuit of Grealish last summer, when he tried to sign the England ace, who Pep Guardiola had labelled as “exceptional.” [TNT Sports]
Speaking on talkSPORT on 7 September (12:59 pm), he said: “I respect him [Moyes] and what he has done, but he’ll know, a lot of those players we were trying to sign them last year, couldn’t get them over the line, whether it is money, you just can’t get the deals done.
“Dewsbury-Hall, we were trying to afford Jack Grealish, we went in for.
“You have got to remember, and I don’t mean we were close before anyone misquotes me, what I mean is, we were putting out the calls, Kev Thelwell was going into these situations, and going ‘right, can we?’
“You get in there earlier, and you just keep registering your interest, you can’t sign everyone.”
Jack Grealish may not have succeeded under Sean Dyche
There is no guarantee that Grealish would have had the same success under the former Burnley manager as he has had under Moyes so far.
Dyche was known for a much more conservative approach, and that would not have suited the Man City loanee.
- When Dyche was sacked, Everton had not won in 11 games
- They did not even have a shot on target in two matches that season
- They created just 18.3 expected goals
It felt like his side wanted to avoid conceding, rather than going for it and taking hold of matches, which is the exact opposite of how Grealish plays.
Sometimes a player and manager combination just works out, and it seems like that is the case with Moyes and the former Aston Villa man.
Dyche may well have been trying to sign him, but it is understandable that Grealish did not come, as the stale, bland football would not have allowed him to thrive.
His revival right now is a case of right place, right time, and it would not have been a year ago under Dyche, it may not have worked, so he was right to move when he did.
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