It was late in the evening on Monday, August 11 when Angus Kinnear, Everton’s impressive new chief executive, looked at his watch and felt a sinking feeling.
In a world as unpredictable as football, there are no such things as set hours and Kinnear was in a situation at work that simply had to be resolved. He’d planned on leaving Finch Farm, the club’s training base, to be back in time to see his son before bedtime but it wasn’t going to be possible.
Kinnear explained to those present that he needed to be excused for a moment, as he had to make the kind of phone call every father dreads. There’s never an easy way to tell your children you are breaking a promise and won’t see them until morning.
One of those in the room, however, felt compelled to intervene. It was, he insisted, only right he should make the call, as he was the reason Kinnear was away from his family. So he asked for the phone and took control of the situation, dialling through on FaceTime.
Soon a disbelieving young boy would be on the end of the line and all thoughts of a temporarily absent parent were removed immediately.
‘Hello mate!’ chirped the unmistakeable tones of Jack Grealish, peering into the screen with that infectious smile. ‘I’m sorry your dad’s going to be late but we’re just finishing this off – I’m about to sign for Everton.’
Jack Grealish’s move to Everton has been an unqualified success so far as he and the club fall in love with each other
Grealish was named Premier League player of the month for the first time this week, after registering four assists in three appearances for his new club
Phones are crucial to the story of how Everton were able to pull off one of the best transfer deals of the summer window. Plenty will take issue with it being regarded as a coup, the perception of Grealish being that his career has started sliding on a downward trajectory.
How could the common consensus not be that way? Grealish had cost Manchester City £100million four years ago, English football’s first nine-figure fee. He’d been a key influence in their march to the Treble in 2023, a multiple Premier League champion, but now he was being bounced out on loan.
It’s crucial to understand that Grealish had not actively agitated to leave the Etihad Stadium. He realised the situation wasn’t as it should be and he spoke to Pep Guardiola about what he should do for this season, whether it would be best to stay in Manchester or move on.
There was…