Everton Turns to Jack Grealish as 18-Man Squad Faces Tottenham Test

LIVERPOOL, England — Everton will travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend with only 18 senior first-team players available, leaving manager David Moyes to place greater responsibility on Jack Grealish as the club deals with one of its thinnest top-flight rosters in recent seasons.

Grealish, who joined Everton on loan from Manchester City for a second consecutive season, made a brief substitute appearance in the recent Premier League defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Moyes has now confirmed that the English playmaker is physically prepared for a much larger role, despite his limited match minutes so far this season.

“I think Jack is special – I think he is ready to play, yes,” Moyes said. “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.”

Everton’s shortage became more pronounced on deadline day, when the club unsuccessfully tried to sign United States international striker Folarin Balogun from AS Monaco. Balogun had moved to Monaco from Arsenal in August 2023 for €30 million ($33 million), and Everton viewed him as a source of attacking depth before negotiations collapsed in the final hours of the summer transfer window.

The club can still consider the free-agent market. Premier League rules allow teams to register up to 25 senior players over the age of 21 once the transfer window has closed, while unattached free agents may be signed and added outside the formal window if open roster places remain.

Grealish previously made a £100 million ($131 million) move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in August 2021, at the time a record transfer fee for a British player. He featured during Manchester City’s treble-winning 2022–23 campaign before securing a season-long loan to Everton last year. Early in that campaign, he became one of Everton’s primary creators, and Moyes wants a similar attacking contribution as the team tries to rebound offensively.

“It’s incredibly exciting if he gives us what he gave us at the start of last season,” Moyes said. “If we get that level from him then we’ll be thrilled.”

The midfield options are also restricted. Danish international Christian Nørgaard remains injured and is not expected to return until after the upcoming FIFA international break. He joined Everton after five seasons at Brentford, where he served as club captain, and his absence removes another option for defensive midfield coverage while limiting Moyes’ tactical flexibility.

Moyes returned for a second managerial tenure at Everton after leading the Merseyside club from 2002 to 2013. He later guided West Ham United to the UEFA Europa Conference League title in 2023. Although he generally prefers to have a slightly larger group, he has said he does not want an oversized roster that creates difficulties in the dressing room.

“I do think sometimes having a tight group can work,” Moyes said. “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.”

He has also referred to Leicester City’s 2015–16 Premier League title victory under Claudio Ranieri. Leicester relied on a core group of just 18 heavily used players during that campaign and did not have European midweek fixtures. Everton likewise has no European competition scheduled this season, a factor Moyes believes could help the current group handle its physical demands.

“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,” Moyes said. “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?”

Tottenham presents a high-tempo, physical test, and no further senior transfers can be made until the January window opens. Everton’s immediate plan therefore begins with Grealish returning to the starting lineup and maintaining player availability across its 18 senior squad members.