The 28-year-old former Blues winger left Goodison Park last summer after two turbulent years.
For Everton in the contemporary period, transfer masterstrokes have been rare. However, it appeared as though they had pulled one off in the summer of 2021.
With Carlo Ancelotti’s departure and Rafael Benitez’s contentious hiring as manager, it was immediately clear that the Blues would face difficulties throughout the preseason. Additionally, there was a perception that new additions wouldn’t cost a lot of money after years of extravagant expenditure.
That was evident in the early deals. Andros Townsend left Newcastle United and joined on a free transfer. Then Demarai Gray went, too, for a mere £1.7 million.
There was definitely interest because of the winger’s price. After all, Gray was once a fantastic prospect at Leicester City, where he regularly gave the Foxes good displays against Everton. There was a sense that he would succeed in the Bundesliga when he signed with Bayer Leverkusen in 2020.
But he was back in the Premier League with Everton after just ten top-flight games for Bayer.
Gray was excellent in the first few weeks of the season. Everton’s start under Benitez has been surprisingly impressive, with goals against Burnley, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Leeds United. The England youth international has been rejuvenated behind the center-forward.
Gray was the one who frequently provided a spark, even when everything started to go apart for Benitez in the upcoming weeks. Even though Everton lost 4-1 in the end, he scored in the Merseyside derby to cut Liverpool’s two-goal advantage. Later, he stunned Arsenal in stoppage time to relieve some of the burden on his manager.
Benitez would not last much longer though, with Frank Lampard eventually drafted in to replace him at the end of January. While the Chelsea legend was able to steer Everton away from relegation trouble, he never quite found a way of getting the best of Gray like Benitez did.
Indeed, arguably Gray’s most telling contribution under Lampard was the free-kick delivery for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s dramatic winner against Crystal Palace in 2022.
When Lampard also got his marching orders, it was a similar story under Sean Dyche. With Everton short of attacking options due to a lack of investment and a number of injuries, the new boss would use Gray in an emergency capacity as a centre-forward. But beyond that, Dyche preferred the industry of Alex Iwobi and Dwight McNeil in the wide areas compared to Gray’s flashes of ingenuity.
Gray played as the centre-forward when Everton secured their Premier League status on the final day of the season against Bournemouth and going into the summer there was a feeling he would be moved on if the opportunity arose. The Blues, of course, were on the brink of their first PSR charge at that point and sales were needed.
In the end, Gray had the chance to leave Everton after the 2023 summer transfer window closed, when Saudi club Al-Ettifaq made their move. The sale didn’t go through smoothly though.
After Dyche said he didn’t expect Gray to leave the club, the forward took to social media himself to offer an apparent retort. “Everton fans have always been great with me but it is so difficult to play for someone who don’t show you respect as a person,” he said on Instagram.
Dyche reacted to the comments in an interview with the club’s official channels. “It’s an unfortunate one because I try to keep our business in-house,” he said. “I think on this occasion, it’s right to reply.
“Demarai made it clear that he felt he was getting a move [away from Everton], and he told us a move was done, which was interesting to hear from a player.”
It was a move that benefitted the Blues in the end though. Reports put the fee received for Gray at around £8 million and in Jack Harrison, Dyche was able to call upon a loan player who was better suited to his priorities as a coach.
Gray has gone on to score four goals in 23 Saudi Pro League outings, meaning Evertonians have not necessarily been lamenting his exit.
So a masterstroke? Not quite. But a smart piece of business when the football club was otherwise in turmoil? Absolutely
