Reggae Boy Demarai Gray Catches the eye of Saudi side
Impressive Jamaica debut may kick off a rewarding career in Middle East for former U21 England ace
Demarai Gray appears to be going from strength to strength, with a highly-lucrative offer potentially in the pipeline to ply his trade in the Saudi Pro League.
The Everton winger’s international debut saw his telling cross superbly finished off by defender Damion Lowe, as Jamaica ground out a 1-1 stalemate against the US in Saturday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup opener.
Gray, who acquired Jamaican citizenship via his maternal grandparents, was on England’s radar after impressing at U21 level. However, he was never given any playing minutes when he travelled to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals with head coach Gareth Southgate and co.
Now the former England U21 star is eyeing up competing in the 2026 World Cup finals with Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, by which time he could be a wealthy superstar in Saudi Arabia.
Leading club Al-Hilal, one of a plethora of Saudi teams trying to entice English Premier League (EPL) players with crazy salaries, have expressed an interest in the 26-year-old. There are reports that negotiations will be underway to sign him this month.
Birmingham-born Gray kicked off his career at Birmingham City Academy before making 72 appearances for the first team. Midland rivals Leicester City swooped and he was a regular starter for five seasons. German outfit Bayer Laverkusen, where Jamaican team-mate Leon Bailey starred, was a stop for the 2021/22 season before Everton shelled out just £1.7m for his services.
Al-Hilal are ready to splash the cash. They have also set their sights on bringing Chelsea and Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly as well as Manchester City and Portgual winger Bernardo Silva to the club.
Gray, whose contract is set to expire at Everton, played in 27 of the 33 EPL matches he was involved in with Goodison Park club. He is firmly in the plans of under pressure Jamaica head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson.
He should get his chance to impress potential suitors, whether from the EPL or Saudi Pro League, when he tackles Caribbean minnows Trinidad & Tobago (28 June) and St. Kitts & Nevis (2 July) in Jamaica’s Gold Cup group games.
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