One positive on a difficult deadline day for Everton was the loan signing of Jack Grealish for a second successive season from Manchester City. Grealish proved to be a popular addition to the Everton squad in 2025-26 before a stress fracture to his foot ended his campaign after a 1-0 win at Aston Villa in January. While Everton's goal output was broadly the same with and without Grealish, their win percentage and points-per-game tallies were both significantly higher with the 30-year-old in the side.