Jack Grealish is loving his loan spell at Everton but Manchester City’s £100m man will not be able to play at the Etihad on Saturday due to Premier League rules.
Andy Dunn is the Mirror’s chief sportswriter.
Crystal Palace started the season well but faced their first major challenge when Oliver Glasner’s side lost to Everton in the latest round of the Premier League. The defeat means Palace have been overtaken by Manchester City in the table, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side in fifth place with one point and one place above them.
City face an Everton team in their resumption of the club’s program, but their mild rejuvenation at the new stadium could only have been further enhanced by that late winner in the 2-1 win over Palace. David Moyes’ side should be energized going to the Etihad – as energized as any team that hasn’t won at that particular venue for 15 years.
It is also possible that they draw three times and win only once, like a team managed by a manager who lost 13 times to Guardiola. It’s a tall order for Everton, but it’s even more so given their successful start to the season…because Moyes has been banned from defending his best team next Saturday against the Etihad.
Moyes was banned from defending his team, which had snatched a big win against Palace. Moyes has been banned from defending the player who scored the winning goal in the closing stages of the game, and arguably the club’s standout performer this season.
read more: Man City ace Erling Haaland receives verdict after returning from duty in Norwayread more: Jack Grealish has already given the green light for a big-money move to Man United
How is that correct? Crystal Palace, now one point behind Guardiola’s side, had to face an Everton side who had effectively received weak orders from the Premier League against Manchester City. They promote agreements where players on loan cannot play against their employers.
How can that be fair? But that is just one aspect of the Premier League’s loan system, which fundamentally undermines the health of competition.
And no one seems to care about it. There’s no one there. The rules are the same for everyone, etc. Granted, not everyone can afford to borrow £100m man Jack Grealish.
I’m sure there aren’t many fans around the country who aren’t happy to see Grealish playing well and enjoying his football, even if he doesn’t advance the game against your team or score the winning goal in stoppage time against your team. I definitely am more like that than a lot of fans.
But Grealish’s form at Everton and his forced exclusion from the next game are a reminder of the fundamental flaws in the Premier League’s loan system. Premier League clubs actually make enough money to buy their own players, rather than asking for favors.
Grealish accepted everything at Everton with typical enthusiasm, but remained a Manchester City employee. There’s a lot of talk about how great it would be for Grealish to make Hill Dickinson Stadium his permanent home. And certainly it will be.
But that’s unlikely. If Grealish had a great season and a European powerhouse came to sign him, would he stay at Everton (assuming he doesn’t play in the Champions League)? Almost certainly not.
Aston Villa are a big club, but Marcus Rashford always had his sights set on bigger clubs during his loan spell under Unai Emery. The movement toward financing is, and always has been, a movement for convenience. Grealish certainly needed game time in the pre-World Cup season and Everton needed commercial talent to brighten up their new home on the banks of the Mersey.
As for Manchester City, even a portion of Grealish’s salary, equivalent to 12 months, would help. Happy days to you all…except for the integrity of the Premier League.
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