This will prove Everton’s Jack Grealish masterclass as £116m Liverpool man Florian Wirtz struggles
Jack Grealish and Florian Wirtz arrived at Everton and Liverpool in the summer, but in very different circumstances.
Everton signed Grealish on loan from Manchester City, with the deal including an option to buy reportedly worth around £50million.
Wirtz, on the other hand, moved to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal that could ultimately reach £116m.
But price tags have been thrown out of the window, given each player’s performance for their new clubs so far this season.
Grealish was named Premier League player of the month for August, whilst Wirtz is still waiting for his first direct goal contribution.
Jack Grealish and Florian Wirtz neck and neck in incredible stat
Grealish tops the Premier League for key passes, in what has been a sensational start to his Everton career.
The same cannot be said of Wirtz. Despite the midfielder’s record-breaking price, he is yet to find his feet in England, and has drawn criticism for his performances.
That being said, the 22-year-old is matching Grealish, and all of the Premier League, in one particular stat.
According to Opta, Wirtz and Grealish’s 21 chances created across all competitions are the most of any Premier League player this season.
And the German is not far behind the Everton man when it comes to big chances created either, according to Sofascore.
Everton undoubtedly got the better deal
The compliments end there for Wirtz, and continue for Grealish. The winger, despite costing Everton exactly £116m less, is dominating the Liverpool man in every metric this season.
Per game, the 30-year-old completes more dribbles, wins more duels, loses possession less, wins more free-kicks, and creates far better chances.
It would be fair to point out the fact that Wirtz is just 22, and is still adapting to the Premier League.
| Jack Grealish | Premier League 2025-26 | Florian Wirtz |
| 4 | Assists | 0 |
| 1.7 | Tackles (per game) | 1 |
| 1.5 | Successful dribbles (per game) | 1 |
| 6.8 | Ground duels won (per game) | 2.7 |
| 11.8 | Possession lost (per game) | 12.2 |
| 3.7 | Fouled (per game) | 0.7 |
But a player who costs £116m should be expected to hit the ground running, with such a premium expected of a world-class player.
Instead, Arne Slot may soon be forced into benching his big-money man, whilst Everton, on the other hand, continue to watch their star man dazzle.
In fact, even Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has outperformed the Liverpool man this season, along with Iliman Ndiaye.
Wirtz may well come good for the Reds, but Grealish is good right now. Everton will be all too happy about that.
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