Jack Grealish in line to start for Everton at Tottenham, David Moyes confirms
David Moyes has confirmed Jack Grealish is ready to start for Everton against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. The 31-year-old came off the bench in the recent defeat to Manchester United and the Everton manager now believes he is prepared for a bigger role in the Premier League.
- Headline selection: Jack Grealish is set to start for Everton against Tottenham
- Manager: David Moyes confirmed Grealish is "ready to play"
- Last outing: Grealish featured from the bench in Everton's defeat to Manchester United
- Injury blow: Christian Norgaard remains out until after the international break
- Squad depth: Everton have only 18 senior players available
- What's at stake: Everton need attacking output from Grealish at Tottenham
What was said
"I think Jack is special – I think he is ready to play, yes."
"I think Jack is probably a boy who needs the football [matches] more than he needs the training sometimes."
"I think game time helps Jack. In ways, that's him still building up to his best but, I've got to say, he's had a good week of training and he's beginning to look ready to start."
"It's incredibly exciting if he gives us what he gave us at the start of last season. If we get that level from him then we'll be thrilled."
Moyes is clearly managing expectations while acknowledging the obvious: Everton lack attacking quality and Grealish is the most plausible source of it. The loan return for a second straight season was not a vanity move. It was a necessity after the club failed to strengthen sufficiently in the window.
The manager's comments frame Grealish as a rhythm player, someone who sharpens through competitive contact rather than training ground repetition. That is a subtle way of saying the bench role was never going to get the best from him. Starting him at Tottenham is a calculated gamble built on the belief that minutes will restore his level faster than caution would.
Injury and availability
Everton are without Christian Norgaard, who remains out and is not expected back until after the international break. Beyond that specific absence, the broader issue is numerical. Moyes has only 18 senior players available, a figure that leaves little room for rotation or in-game adjustment.
The thin squad has forced Everton to consider the free agent market for cover, a reality Moyes has acknowledged. That admission tells you plenty about where things stand after deadline day. The club closed the window with more frustration than progress, and the late collapse of a move for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun left the manager short on attacking options.
Deal details
Jack Grealish returned to Everton on loan for a second consecutive season. That arrangement was confirmed and is not the subject of ongoing negotiation. The more significant transfer story is the one that did not happen: Everton's move for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun collapsed late in the window.
No fee or contract details for the Balogun deal have been reported in the source. The collapse is framed as the reason Moyes is short on attacking numbers, not as a deal still in play. The Grealish loan, by contrast, is a completed piece of business that Everton are now relying on to carry much of their creative burden.
David Moyes explains the small-squad gamble
"I think it is interlinked. I think a small group together, the tightness that can happen, I think I mentioned Leicester City winning the league a few years ago and what it was like, it looked like a small group of players who did that."
"It's probably less and less likely given the extra amount of Champions League games and international games, which make it necessary to have the extra players in your squad. We've not got European football this year, so maybe we can find a way of getting through with what we've got at the moment?"
"I do think sometimes having a tight group can work. I'm not saying it will and if I had my choice I'd have more numbers obviously, but I certainly wasn't somebody who needed 24 or 25 outfield players, it wasn't that I was looking for."
"I've tried to work mainly with 21 outfield players, that's the number I've tried to have and sometimes you can maybe have 22, it can be a bit bigger, but around that number would have been my choice."
Moyes is attempting to sell the upside of a smaller dressing room: tighter bonds, fewer moving parts, greater clarity. The Leicester City comparison is the emotional hook, but the manager is careful to caveat it. He admits he would rather have more numbers and accepts that the modern calendar makes small squads increasingly difficult to sustain.
What he is really saying is that Everton have no European football this season, so the fixture load is lighter. That is the bet. A lean group can survive a domestic-only campaign if injuries do not bite. With Norgaard already out and only 18 senior players available, that bet is already under strain.
Why Grealish starting at Tottenham is a calculated risk
Starting Jack Grealish at Tottenham is not a reward for good training. It is a response to a squad that cannot score enough goals from open play. Everton's attacking options are thin, the Balogun deal collapsed, and the loan market has already closed. Grealish is the most talented creator on the books, and Moyes needs him on the pitch from the first whistle rather than chasing a game from the bench.
The tactical logic is straightforward. Grealish wants the ball in wide areas, where he can draw fouls, slow the tempo and allow Everton's midfield to push up. Against a Tottenham side that will dominate possession, having a player who can carry the ball and relieve pressure is valuable. But it also means Everton are trusting a player still building towards his best to deliver in a match where they may see little of the ball.
If Grealish gives Everton what he gave at the start of last season, Moyes says he will be "thrilled". That is the benchmark. Not a flash of skill, not a cameo, but a sustained level of performance that transforms Everton's attack. Tottenham away is a clean test, but it is also an unforgiving one. The margin for error is thin because the squad is thin.
Talking points
- Starting Grealish at Tottenham is the right call because Everton have no other creative outlet, but it also exposes a squad that should have been strengthened in the window.
- Moyes comparing his small squad to Leicester City's title winners is optimistic. Leicester had a fully fit, settled XI for almost the entire season, while Everton already have Norgaard out.
- With only 18 senior players, any further injury before the international break leaves Moyes picking from a bench of academy players. That is not a strategy, it is a hope.
- The collapsed Balogun move is the real story here. Everton identified the need for a striker, failed to deliver one, and are now asking a loanee to carry the attacking burden.
What happens next
Everton travel to Tottenham this weekend with Grealish expected to start. The match is the immediate test of whether Moyes's small-squad gamble can produce a performance. After that, the international break gives Norgaard time to recover and the club a chance to assess the free agent market for cover. The stakes are simple: Everton need points and they need goals. Grealish is now the primary hope for both.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jack Grealish starting for Everton against Tottenham?
Yes. David Moyes has confirmed Jack Grealish is ready to start for Everton against Tottenham after coming off the bench in the recent defeat to Manchester United.
Who is out for Everton vs Tottenham?
Christian Norgaard remains out and is not expected back until after the international break. Everton also have only 18 senior players available for the trip to Tottenham.
Why are Everton short on attacking options?
Everton's late move for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun collapsed in the transfer window, leaving David Moyes with a squad light on attacking numbers. Jack Grealish returned on loan for a second straight season.
Related Articles
Filed under: Match Previews | LA Premier League Home
