Jack Grealish was photographed at Stories in Manchester on April 25 appearing slumped and asleep after what a tabloid described as a boozy afternoon with friends.
The Sun claimed Grealish joined friends for a boozy afternoon session at Stories in Manchester, and the photos that circulated appeared to show the 30-year-old slumped in a chair and struggling to keep his eyes open. An onlooker told the paper, "Pals tried to wake him. The booze must have caught up with him." A supplemental report added that Grealish arrived at Stories at 16:30 and was asleep an hour later, and said he was caught sleeping on the roof of a bar after an afternoon of drinking.
The images land while Grealish is on loan at Everton from Manchester City and sidelined with a foot injury. His last appearance for Everton was on January 18 — his 22nd of the 2025-26 campaign — after which he suffered a stress fracture against Aston Villa and underwent an operation. Everton’s loan spell for Grealish yielded two goals and six assists, and he won the club’s Player of the Month award for August during his time on Merseyside.
Details released about his recovery are specific. Grealish was initially fitted with a cast after surgery, later used a boot and a knee scooter, and posted rehabilitation images on Instagram in March. He told followers then he was "working hard to be back better and stronger than ever." A supplemental report also said he underwent foot surgery in February 2026.
The images revive a longstanding public narrative about Grealish and nightlife. Over the years he has been accused of being a "party boy," reportedly hosted a December celebration that cost £20,000 and ended in a London strip club, and has often been spotted frequenting drinking establishments in the North West. The supplemental report noted past episodes: nearly 6,000 euros spent at the bar of Bagatelle in April 2025 and Grealish’s central role in Manchester City’s 2023 celebrations after the treble — a period when he later admitted, "I don't regret it, that's how I am when I'm partying!"
The tension is immediate. Grealish’s rehabilitation is explicitly aimed at having him ready for the start of the 2026-27 season, and Everton retain the option to make his loan move permanent. The loan agreement includes a £50 million purchase trigger; Everton are expected to discuss a reduction in that figure. Club officials must now weigh his recovery timeline, his contribution of two goals and six assists in 22 appearances, and the reputational noise around these photographs.
There is a practical friction between two facts on the record: Grealish insists he is focused on recovery and posted images in March showing he was in a rehabilitation programme, yet the April 25 pictures and the supplemental report’s details portray a player apparently not at his physical best while socialising. An onlooker’s line that "the booze must have caught up with him" sharpens that gap — and will complicate conversations at board and recruitment level about whether to renegotiate the purchase trigger and commit transfer funds on a player who remains tied to a Manchester City contract for another 12 months.
The single most consequential unanswered question is straightforward: will Everton still press to lower the £50 million purchase trigger and make Grealish’s move permanent now that images and reports have spotlighted his off-field conduct while he recovers? How that decision lands will determine whether Grealish returns to Everton, heads back to Aston Villa as has been mooted, or becomes fodder for reported moves to the Saudi Pro League or Major League Soccer as his next destination.
