Keith Wyness: Superstar will accept pay cut to agree Everton deal
Jack Grealish’s season-ending injury will not stop any deal for the midfielder to join Everton on a permanent basis.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who remains “convinced” that Grealish will join Everton from Manchester City in the summer transfer window.
Grealish requires surgery on a stress fracture in his foot which is expected to keep the 30-year-old out for the rest of the season.
The injury will not change Everton’s stance on signing Grealish, with David Moyes still wanting to bring the Man City loanee to Merseyside permanently.
Everton to get ‘deal done’ for Jack Grealish
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – thinks Grealish’s injury could give Everton “more strength in the transfer market” to agree a deal with Man City.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness believes Grealish wants to be part of Everton’s long-term project.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I do think that Moyes would like to keep Jack and he would like to do the deal. Certainly an injury like this will again give Everton more strength in the transfer market with Man City.
“I don’t think there’ll be any problems with getting this deal done. I think both parties will accept that it’s going to have to get done now. Jack may find that his own wage demands may have to be lessened slightly as well.
“So I think this is one area that we’ll see. It’ll get done, I’m convinced about that. But I think that everybody might have to just take a haircut from all sides and Everton may end up with Grealish at a very reasonable deal.
“And certainly looking at the squad going forward, I think he would see that there’s something being built here, and I think he’d want to be part of that project and probably be more bonus related in his wages as well.”
Late deadline day drama at Everton
Everton’s Dwight McNeil had a deadline day move to Crystal Palace collapse, after a £20million fee had been agreed between the two clubs.
It means McNeil will remain at The Hill Dickinson Stadium until the end of the season despite seeing playing time hard to come by this season.
McNeil has started seven Premier League games for the Toffees this season, only contributing one assist, with the 26-year-old yet to score a goal.