Demarai Gray left Everton because he felt he was “totally out of the picture.”
The winger was the final sale of Everton’s summer transfer window, moving to Saudi Arabia after the Premier League window closed in September.
His departure followed a public fallout with the club, highlighted by his social media activity.
On Instagram, Gray posted: “Everton fans have always been great with me but it is so difficult to play for someone who doesn’t show you respect as a person.” This post came just days after the transfer window closed, during which his exit had seemed increasingly likely. After participating in the Concacaf Gold Cup with Jamaica, he returned to Merseyside for pre-season but was not included in the matchday squad for any of the club’s friendlies or the first five games of the season.
Sean Dyche attributed Gray’s absence to fitness issues following Everton’s draw at Sheffield United, stating: “It was a bit of everything – his fitness, his fitness to play in the side, the situation around him and all of the noise. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks that will become clear and he will get himself fit as a start point.”
However, the next day Gray posted on Instagram again, and he was subsequently sold to Al-Ettifaq. Reflecting on that time, the 28-year-old, who said his positive start at Everton under Rafa Benitez had him hoping for an England call-up, told Four Four Two: “It was a difficult decision, but I had to leave Everton. I was totally out of the picture. There was strong interest from Fulham, but it didn’t quite happen. Then I got a call from Jordan Henderson, had a nice conversation with the gaffer, Steven Gerrard, and thought: ‘I’m 27 and I’ve experienced two relegation battles, won the Premier League title, and played in Germany. I have one career, so let’s see what this is saying.’ It was a decent deal and the club sold me their ambitions. So far, they’ve stuck to everything they said they’ll do. The speed and dedication the club has put into trying to make the facilities elite is ridiculous.”
