Erling Haaland sends emotional five-word message to Everton fans over Jack Grealish transfer | OneFootball

Everton fans have been handed a five-word message from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland over Jack Grealish and his season-long loan stay on Merseyside.

Grealish has completed a season-long loan to the Dickinson Hill Stadium this week after being deemed surplus to requirements at the Manchester City, where he made just seven starts in the recent Premier League campaign.

The Toffees are covering 75% of Grealish’s weekly wages – believed to be around £300,000 – and posses an option to sign the 29-year-old on a permanent basis next summer for £50 million – which would represent a £50 million loss on the £100 million fee City paid to sign the forward from Aston Villa in 2021.

Manchester City have signed Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki to strengthen their attack since January, with Grealish moving to Merseyside to play week-in, week-out as he looks to salvage his England career ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Grealish starred for Manchester City in their historic 2022-23 treble-winning campaign, scoring crucial goals against Arsenal and Liverpool en route to the Premier League title and starting all of City’s UEFA Champions League knockout games on the road to their maiden title.

The former Aston Villa captain has won three Premier League titles at the Etihad Stadium but having struggled to kick on from the treble season – owing to a lack of consistency and fitness – Grealish is understood to have accepted that his Manchester City career has come to an end.

After justifying the financial outlay made to secure his services in 2021 in arguably just one of the four years he has spent in Manchester, it was destined for all parties to mutually agree on a parting of ways this summer, beginning with a season-long loan at Everton.

Despite being open to the idea of playing abroad, Grealish admitted in his first interview as an Everton player that the prospect of working with David Moyes attracted him to Merseyside as he looks to force his way into the thoughts of England boss Thomas Tuchel in the upcoming England squads.

Having been excluded from Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign, Grealish worked hard in pre-season to be in peak condition as his representatives assessed the forward’s options ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Grealish’s spell at the Etihad Stadium divides opinion amongst Manchester City fans owing largely to the amount of money paid to secure his signature, but the now-Everton man will forever be remembered fondly for his indispensable role in the treble-winning year.

Erling Haaland paid an emotional tribute to his departing friend on social media in the hours before Grealish’s Everton loan was made official on Tuesday, with the Norwegian forging a strong friendship with Grealish on and off the pitch since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

Responding to an Everton fan site on Tuesday, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland told supporters of the Merseyside club regarding his close friend and long-standing Etihad Stadium teammate, “Take good care of him!”

This is a developing story. More to follow.