How Do Everton And Jack Grealish Solve This Mess?

We're set for an incredibly interesting situation after the international break when Jack Grealish is available for selection again for Everton. 

Grealish has missed Everton's last four games after he was left out of the squad due to a disciplinary issue, which the club confirmed. The official line from Everton more recently has been that Grealish has been lacking match fitness, but with him being left out of the squad completely, it does feel like there's a little more to it than that.

There is now an international break, and of course, Grealish won't be heading off to link up with the England squad. Instead, Grealish will remain at Finch Farm and reintegrate back into the team ahead of Brentford later this month.

Everton are now in an interesting situation. Of the four games Grealish has missed, Everton have won three of them, with the only defeat coming against Arsenal. The Toffees haven't looked like they've missed him in the final third, scoring seven times in their previous three games.

Tyrique George is now getting more valuable game time than he perhaps would have, and we've already spoken about how Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is improving without Grealish.

So, what do Everton do?

The reality is, whether you as a supporter like it or not, Grealish is going to play for Everton again. Some fans will want that due to his ability, and some won't want to see him again due to letting the club down.

The fact is, Evertonians will have to deal with the fact that he's going to be involved between now and January. What happens when the window opens remains to be seen, but he's going to be involved for now. 

Once Everton fans have accepted that, it's all about what happens between now and January. 

How can Everton and Grealish deal with this, though? It does feel like something needs to be said. If Grealish just turns up at Everton and plays, who knows what the reaction of the supporters will be.

It feels like something needs to be happen in order to draw a line under the situation and move on. Some fans will forgive, some won't, but either way, it feels like a situation that can't just be swept under the carpet.

The logical thing would be that Grealish releases a statement. Has he apologised to the players? Can he come out and apologise to the supporters?

If he hasn't, or won't make a statement, how can fans be expected to welcome him back into the team?

Fans have a right not to feel warm to Grealish now, but if 50% of fans inside the stadium want to make their feelings known about him, that's going to create a toxic atmosphere. If he apologises, maybe that number comes down, and the minority have less of an impact.

Let's not forget, when Thierno Barry came out on Instagram after some of his friends were attacked in the away end at Arsenal, Barry was booed for a number of games. That's all been brushed under the carpet now, and rightly so, but that can't have been good for Barry during that period. 

If Grealish is going to play, we want him to play well. Is a toxic atmosphere going to help him? Now I'm not telling fans what to do here, but it's up to the club and Grealish to try to limit that toxic atmosphere.

One fan might be considering booing Grealish, but if he comes out and apologises, is willing to change his mind. That could be the case for many, so it feels like the only logical solution now is for something to be said. 

It's hard to know how the whole fanbase feels, but it just feels like there needs to be something tangible happening in order to draw a line under this. It might not be enough for some, but it's all about how Everton move forward now.