The former Aston Villa captain, who won three Premier League titles with City, will wear the number 18 shirt for Everton. In a statement to EvertonTV, Grealish revealed a special reason behind his choice, mentioning that his two favorite English players, Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne, both wore the same number for the club. He added that he spoke to Rooney before the move, telling him about his choice of number and hoping "he is happy as well\!"
For Grealish, the move presents an opportunity to secure consistent playing time after a challenging season at Manchester City where he struggled with injuries and fell out of favor. Everton, in turn, gains an experienced and talented player to bolster their attack. Everton manager David Moyes expressed his pleasure with the signing, stating his belief that Grealish has a platform to "show the best version of himself" and potentially work his way back into the England squad for the World Cup.