Demarai Gray has completed an £8m transfer from Everton to Al-Ettifaq, with the 27-year-old signing a four-year deal with the Saudi Pro League club and joining up with Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson.
The relationship between Gray and Sean Dyche, the Everton manager, deteriorated after the manager publicly criticised the player via club media channels. The winger said it was “difficult to play for someone who doesn’t show you respect as a person”.
Dyche responded by expressing his unhappiness at Gray, who has not played this season after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia as well as Fulham and several other clubs, effectively going on strike after making clear he did not want to train.
Nothing materialised on European deadline day but, with the Saudi window open until Thursday, Everton have managed to finalise a deal with Al-Ettifaq. The Premier League club, working under stringent financial restrictions in the transfer market, will make a profit on the deal having signed Gray from Bayer Leverkusen for just £1.7m in July 2021.
His departure at least gives Dyche, whose side have one point from their first four matches, one less problem to deal with after he criticised the player’s attitude on Tuesday.
“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,” he said. “We reminded him of the truth of the fact that no moves are done without this club’s say so.”
