Everton Winger Faces Axe After Discipline Breach: Should Moyes Cut Him Loose?

Everton Winger Faces Axe After Discipline Breach: Should Moyes Cut Him Loose? David Moyes has Everton moving in the right direction, and the evidence arrived in two quick bursts. Thierno Barry scored his eighth goal of the campaign in a 1-0 win at St James’ Park, a result that lifted the Toffees to seventh, before Friday night’s 3-1 comeback against Coventry City, where Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the goal that sealed it. The top four sits within reach. The wide areas explain much of that stability, because the summer rebuilt them almost entirely. Iliman Ndiaye left for Manchester City in a £60m deal, Dwight McNeil joined Crystal Palace , and the club answered with a swap deal for Brennan Johnson and an initial £18m investment in Chelsea’s Tyrique George. George, a 20-year-old winger, has benefited most from the changes. He offers directness, pace and one-against-one ability on the touchline, and although his decision-making still looks raw, he has adapted quickly to senior football. Johnson plays mainly on the right or as a fluid second striker, yet he can flip across the front line when Moyes wants counter-attacking depth, while Dewsbury-Hall, a central midfielder by trade, drifts into the left half-space to overload that flank. Merlin Röhl adds high-intensity running and direct carrying from deep. Jack Grealish, 31, joined on a season-long deadline-day loan from Manchester City but sits outside that balance. An unauthorised absence from training, deemed a breach of club discipline, exiled him, and the club now cites a lack of match fitness. An exclusive Football Insider report, quoting former City financial adviser Stefan Borson , says the club is considering terminating the loan. Borson claims City want no part of a return because Enzo Maresca considers him a headache, and his contract there expires at the end of the season. Moyes has not ruled out a comeback, yet Grealish remains banished. Where Grealish clashes with Moyes’ system Ex-players say his first touch makes the game look ‘too easy’, but Grealish slows the tempo to retain possession and win fouls, while Moyes wants high-velocity counter-attacks from a rigid 4-5-1 or 4-3-3, with wingers tracking back beside full-backs like Vitaliy Mykolenko. Passive in deep blocks, he cannot supply that workload at 31. Do Everton need Grealish in January? LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 17: Jack Grealish of Everton looks on during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Everton and Chelsea FC at Hill Dickinson Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images) No. The Toffees have moved beyond him. Barry’s goals, Dewsbury-Hall’s industry and George’s pace form a balanced blueprint. His wages are an unnecessary luxury, and keeping a disruptive, highly paid loanee in limbo risks fracturing a dressing room that has found excellent synergy. The club should negotiate an immediate termination of the loan or sideline him until he returns to City. If financial hurdles block that, Moyes should use him as a low-priority substitute for closing out games through ball retention. Everything else should prioritise George’s development as that flank’s definitive future, because the £18m outlay targeted it.