Reasons Thomas Tuchel Is Completely Wrong to Snub Jack Grealish After Brilliant Everton Comeback
Thomas Tuchel is mistaken for ignoring the Everton disclosure for six reasons, which brings back the England Clamour for Jack Grealish. Grealish’s comeback to form at Everton in the 2025–26 season has been arguably the biggest feel-good story to date.
At Man City, Grealish had many memorable moments, especially during their 2022–2023 treble season.
However, it ultimately became evident that the England international’s brilliance was sapped by Pep Guardiola’s demands for perfection from his robotic wingers.
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Grealish needed a new start at Everton under David Moyes after becoming surplus to needs at Man City due to a string of injuries, a poor run of injuries, and being pushed down the hierarchy by expensive arrivals.
This seemed like an excellent fit right away, and it has been satisfying to watch Grealish, one of football’s decent guys, go back to his favourite thing: frightening defenders with an attack-first mentality while grinning and enjoying the game.
Grealish, who has been one of the Premier League season’s best players and can consider himself extremely unlucky not to be back in the England squad, has thus far seen tremendous benefits from this.
Following the announcement of his most recent team, Tuchel said that he had no issues with Grealish, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, or the other absentees. “No,” he responded. Neither Phil Foden nor Jack Grealish are problematic either.
“This is the decision, whether they like it or not,” he continued. They are aware of my gratitude and that I can plainly see how excellent Phil is right now for Manchester City.”
Jack is aware of my admiration for his impact on Everton and his progress towards becoming his best self. Jude is aware that he is a unique player. He is aware that I think he is a unique player.
They must therefore come to terms with the fact that nothing will change this decision, either for them or the other players. My admiration for their talent and charisma remains unaffected.
When questioned about his most recent omission, Grealish, meanwhile, remained composed. “You want to play for the national team at the end of the day, but people are doing well in my position,” he stated.
“I’m performing well too, but I’m okay with the individuals who were selected last month since they performed incredibly well in the two games.
“I completely appreciate the manager’s choice on it. I’m really enjoying my time here, and I’m focused on playing for Everton because they trusted and believed in me. Grealish would be in the most recent England squad if this were a meritocracy.
Most of this can be attributed to his exceptional creative productivity; the Everton star leads the Premier League in assists (four), opportunities created (17), and progressive carries (75).
Grealish has also been quite successful with his carries this season; he has tied for the most carries that end in a chance with Cody Gakpo of Liverpool (eight) and the joint-most carries that finish in an assist with Antoine Semenyo of AFC Bournemouth and Yankuba Minteh of Brighton (two).
Grealish has also taken outside advice and been more self-centred than he was at the Etihad, putting up ten shots and five goals for Everton in 159 fewer minutes than he did for a much more formidable Man City team the previous season.
The England Clamour surrounding Grealish can be more important than anything else, as demonstrated under Gareth Southgate’s leadership.
If Tuchel continues to explore elsewhere and the winger’s comeback continues, he runs the risk of suffering the same dilemma.
What makes this whole row feel so combustible is that Grealish isn’t just putting up numbers on the periphery, he’s doing things that directly change games.
He’s the player willing to take the ball in tight areas, run at defenders and either create or draw fouls that open spaces for others.
That kind of unpredictability is exactly what Gareth Southgate has often said he values when picking attackers, yet Tuchel’s selections suggest a different short-term plan.
Fans see a man who’s rediscovered joy and threat after being boxed in at City; they don’t understand why that shouldn’t earn him at least a bench spot with a clear game plan to use him.
There’s also a tactical argument that’s being overlooked. England can line up in several ways where Grealish isn’t an optional luxury but a specific problem-solver, a late change to stretch a tired defence, a left-sided creator to unlock compact teams, or even a man tasked with destabilising set-piece routines.
If Tuchel’s thinking is long-term cohesion, fine, but international windows are about immediate impact too.
If Grealish keeps producing this blend of flair and end product, pressure will mount from fans and pundits alike for Southgate to find minutes for him.
At some point, picking purity over potency starts to look like stubbornness rather than strategy and with Jack playing like this, that’s a hard look to defend.
