Jack Grealish will be fined by Everton after he was dropped from the squad to face Newcastle for a significant breach of club discipline.

The England international missed last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal having been deemed to be ill but it was hoped he would be ready to be included for the last 16 tie with Fleetwood Town, the giantkillers of Arsenal, awaiting in the quarter-finals.

But Grealish left manager David Moyes and his club officials enraged when he failed to report for training on Monday. It was expected that all players would be at Finch Farm, the club’s base in Halewood, but there was one significant absentee.

Moyes, such a strict disciplinarian, was incensed and Grealish’s actions left the Scot with no option but to not include him for the most significant night of Everton’s campaign. The club took the unusual step of releasing the reason he was absent on their social media channels.

There was a crashing sense of disappointment amongst supporters, many of whom will have felt let down by Grealish, a player who has been afforded nothing but tremendous affection since he first arrived at Everton on loan from Manchester City in August 2025.

Those who know Grealish speak warmly of him as a character and his generosity was encapsulated this week when he donated £10,000 to an Evertonian who is fighting stage three cancer: Leon Skapars, 36, is a father-of-three and was overwhelmed by the contribution to a GoFundMe page.

Unfortunately, though, there is no excuse for poor standards around the camp and Grealish, who earns more than £170,000 per week, will have to pay financially for his mistake. There is no indication yet whether it will be more than a two-week fine, as is commonplace.

Grealish’s chequered past

In 2020, Grealish was fined by Aston Villa for breaking Covid guidelines and banned from driving for nine months after he pleaded guilty for two counts of careless driving, one in March and one in October. He was filmed colliding with several parked cars.

In April, Grealish was also pictured asleep at a table at a bar surrounded with alcohol as he recovered from foot surgery.

Though Grealish will be able to withstand the financial hit, the most damaging aspect for him will be the impact on his relationship with Moyes, who has steadfastly stood by him and wanted to coax the 31-year-old back to the kind of form that made him British football’s first £100m player in 2021.

He has had an underwhelming season so far, having played eight games and failing to score or provide an assist. His only statistical contribution has been a yellow card in the Carabao Cup third round defeat of Wolves.