Journalist Simon Phillips has hailed Everton centre-back duo Conor Coady and James Tarkowski for their ‘underrated’ partnership under Frank Lampard.

The Lowdown: Summer arrivals

Tarkowski was the first signing of the Toffees’ overhaul this summer as they sought to improve upon last season’s relegation-battling squad. The 29-year-old left Burnley and came to Goodison Park on a free transfer in July upon the expiry of his contract at Turf Moor.

Following injuries to defenders Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey, the Blues dipped back in the transfer market and signed Coady on a season-long loan from Wolves with an option to buy. The two summer arrivals have since started every single Premier League game (bar one for Coady) under Lampard.

The Latest: Phillips’ claim

Phillips has been impressed with how the defensive duo have handled themselves since arriving on Merseyside this summer, claiming that their contributions to the team have been ‘underrated’.

Speaking with GiveMeSport about Coady and Tarkowski, the journalist proclaimed: “They’ve already proven to be really reliable for Lampard. You can see that they’re playing for Lampard, and they’ve bought into his vision and what he’s trying to create there at Everton.

“They’re literally the core of that team, the spine of that team if you want to call it that, and I think they’re both very underrated players.

“They’re going to continue to be massive, massive players for Lampard and the exact fit of player that he wanted to come in and just provide that leadership and that stability at the back and the core of this team.”

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The Verdict: Stronger defensively

Seven matches into the Premier League season, Everton have conceded just six goals (0.86 per game); this gives them the joint-second lowest tally in the league alongside Liverpool and Manchester City, with Brighton shipping just one goal fewer.

This is already a drastic improvement on last season, in which the Toffees conceded 66 times (1.74 per game), one of the worst defensive records in the league.

That is a testament to Tarkowski and Coady, who appear to have made Everton a far sturdier outfit at the back since forging their partnership at Goodison Park.

The Blues’ issue now is in attack, with just five league goals to their name (only two teams have fewer). Therefore, the Toffees manager will surely be hoping to bring in another forward in January in the hope that they can be just as impactful as the two centre-backs he signed in the summer.