Barry, Delph, Grealish? The Aston Villa captain to Everton via Man City pipeline
Jack Grealish will potentially follow both Fabian Delph and Gareth Barry in their career trajectory from Aston Villa to Man City to Everton this summer.
Amid speculation over his long-term future at City this summer, the England international is looking to push a temporary move away from the Etihad.
The 29-year-old is a seasoned Premier League player and Grealish has been linked with a loan to Tottenham.
Also in the mix are the Toffees as David Moyes has openly stated his desire to bring the wide man to Merseyside with ex-Everton Head of Communications Alan Myers reaffirming talks are ongoing.
As City’s number 10 considers this potential move, Football Insider looks at how his career could be aligning with that of former Villa captains and Cityzens’ midfielders Delph and Barry.
From humble beginnings at Aston Villa to the peaks of Man City
Both Grealish and Barry spent some years in the youth squad with the latter controversially leaving Brighton to venture to the Midlands.
The two midfielders would go on to have extensive careers with the Villains with the now 44-year-old Barry making 365 appearances for the club.
Delph started at Leeds before joining the claret and blue for the 2009-10 campaign, it was here the England international honed his craft and towards the end of his playing days in Birmingham, was on the radar of Man City.
Despite signing a mega four-and-a-half year deal in January 2015, the Yorkshireman eventually pushed through a move to the blue half of Manchester at the end of the 2014-15 season.
Barry had fallings out during his time at Villa Park with manager Martin O’Neill after the boss was determined to hold on to his star defensive-midfielder amid interest from Liverpool.
Come June 2009, he signed for Man City after making his alleged intentions clear of playing Champions League football, similar to the ambitions of Grealish.
All three were hugely successful at the Etihad, winning 15 trophies between them ranging from Premier League titles to FA Cups and a Champions League.
Man City to Everton: throwing the old toys away
As ever is the case with the Manchester club, there is a constant revolving door of new players joining the club, a factor which can end playing careers with the side in an instant.
Something Grealish is going through in the summer 2025 window, he should take heed from the actions of the two England internationals who both found refuge with Everton.
The success of the two was varied during their stay with the Toffees with Delph only playing 35 matches due to a constant array of injuries, later forcing an early retirement.
On the other hand, Barry was hailed a hero at Goodison Park, making 99 appearances after turning his loan move into a permanent three-year deal.
During his time with the Toffees, the Englishman even became the third player in the league’s history to make 600 appearances after Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard.
Currently, the holding midfielder is the Premier League’s record appearance holder with 653 matches played.
Everton can offer a safe-haven to Grealish
Given the current state of his situation at the Etihad, the number 10 would be wise to follow in the footsteps of his compatriots.
Towards the end of their spells in Manchester, both players were eventually tossed out as Sheikh Mansour splashed the cash to bring in shiny new toys.
Moving to the Toffees, whilst a step down for both Delph and Barry, did provide them with an excellent alternative to find regular football.
| Jack Grealish 2024-25 Premier League | |
| Appearances (starts) | 20 (7) |
| Minutes played | 735 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
This is precisely what the former Villa academy graduate is experiencing and even a temporary move to Merseyside would be a sensible choice to revive his career.
Under Moyes, the England international can expect critical support as well as targeted advice on how to improve his game with the Scotsman candid in his desire to build a team around Grealish.
Wages are going to be an issue but perhaps as the window edges ever closer to closing, a deal for his services may appear at the last second to give the winger a chance to prove Pep Guardiola wrong.