Kinnear’s remarks on Grealish have drawn fresh attention after The Times’ Paul Joyce, Charlotte Duncker and Gary Jacob highlighted a specific line from the same BBC Radio Merseyside interview: that Grealish “was definitely loved here.”
The wider quotes make clear what Kinnear was and wasn’t saying.
Asked about the England winger, he confirmed Everton have “remained in contact” with Grealish since his loan spell ended, and pointed to how he chose to complete his injury rehabilitation on Merseyside last season “when he didn’t have to do that.”
Kinnear added that Grealish has “fallen in love with the right shade of blue,” but was careful to frame him as “a Manchester City player at the moment” that Everton “need to respect.”
That’s short of a confirmed pursuit of a loan return — the finances alone make any deal complicated, with Grealish’s City wages a significant hurdle Kinnear has previously acknowledged.
But the affection is clearly mutual, and with City having already trimmed Bernardo Silva, Rodri and potentially Nico González from their midfield this summer, Grealish’s path back to regular football at the Etihad looks no clearer than it did in the summer.
Nothing here suggests movement toward an actual deal, unfortunately – we’d all have preferred ‘love’ rather than ‘loved’ – but it’s a strong indication the relationship hasn’t cooled since he left, and, going on Kinnear’s tone, wouldn’t take much to reignite if City’s stance on him shifted.
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