OFFICIAL - Demarai Gray signs for Everton

The Everton winger looks rejuvenated under Rafael Benítez after starting most games on the bench at Leicester
Demarai Gray has returned to the Premier League with a bang since signing for Everton in the summer. After years of stagnating at Leicester he is ready to prove the undoubted potential he showed at Birmingham.

The next opponents trying to stop Gray are his hometown rivals Aston Villa, who will be wary of a man with three goals in four Premier League games. Childhood nemesis or otherwise, Gray does not require extra motivation to carry on his fine form after a stunning start since his bargain £1.7m move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Rafa Benítez has been clever to maximise the strength of the assets already at his disposal by recruiting players who can get the best out of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Gray is joined on the other wing by the free transfer Andros Townsend with the instruction to provide chances for their No 9. Gray has all the attributes to be a top-quality winger; he is robust, strong, skilful and can nick a goal, not to mention use both feet, something the Everton fans have witnessed plenty of already.
Gray, unfortunately, was unable to nail down a place at Leicester but he can boast a Premier League winner’s medal. He came off the bench 80 times for Leicester in five years, starting only 53 games. Starting on the bench each week can be demoralising because no one wants to be a substitute or bit-part player. You go into training thinking it doesn’t matter what you do, that it’s going to be the outcome anyway and you end up in a vicious cycle thinking you cannot change the situation regardless of how hard you try, which is not the mindset a player needs.

Breaking that cycle is important. Jesse Lingard, for example, was helped by his loan at West Ham, and Gray has re-energised himself at Everton after a spell abroad to break the monotony at Leicester. Some may see his spell in the Bundesliga as unsuccessful but it could be part of a grander plan to play some minutes, get the confidence back up and return to the Premier League rejuvenated.

It will have been a great boost for Gray to learn of interest from a manager as well respected as Benítez. It must have been frustrating not being a regular starter, so knowing a Champions League winner believes in your capabilities can inspire. Benítez has shown faith in Gray and been rewarded with his performances. Benítez will have looked at what Gray has done before and why he became a bit-part player and created a strategy to turn him into someone who can deliver every week. It’s not a moneyball effect, but his profile suits this team and that’s why it’s working so well.


As a professional the difference between being a very good player and exceptional one is confidence. Getting a goal early on has really set him up for the season. He didn’t have the best first touch against Leeds but he still buried the chance and that is a sign of how high his morale is. As soon as the ball was played through against Burnley you felt he was going to score because of the way he is playing, moving and feeling. A confident player does the other side of the game, too, tracking back and making blocks, which you can see in his game.

www.theguardian.com/footbal