Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v West Ham United - Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain - September 18, 2022 Everton's Conor Coady reacts REUTERS/Craig Brough EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Journalist Tony Scott has ripped into Everton’s Conor Coady, insisting on the All Together Now podcast that he should no longer be starting.
The Lowdown: A lot of work for Dyche
Everton picked up a huge win in Sean Dyche’s first game as manager, but were quickly brought back down to earth in the Merseyside derby, as they were restricted to one shot on target and an expected goals ratio of just 0.3 on Monday (FBref).
It wasn’t just offensively where Everton struggled, either, as both goals they conceded were due to individual errors from the likes of Vitaliy Mykolenko, Jordan Pickford and Coady.
The latter was brought in on loan over the summer to help shore up Everton’s defence and bring some leadership to a Toffees side who were almost relegated last season under Frank Lampard.
The Latest: Coady’s standards starting to slip
Coady’s arrival was perhaps seen as a coup for Everton as they had landed an England international on a loan deal, but Scott now believes he shouldn’t even be starting for the Toffees.
He said: “Coady should’ve been aware of what was behind him when Gakpo scored. He just let it go, and you’re looking at it in terms of Coady at the moment – would you sign him on a permanent? The way his form’s [fallen] off a cliff? He shouldn’t be in the team.”
The Verdict: Signing Coady a no-brainer
Considering Everton’s worrying financial position and the fact they could be playing Championship football next season, the idea of Scott questioning whether Everton should sign an England international for a low fee lacks a view of the bigger picture, in our view.
While Coady’s error against Liverpool – which effectively sealed all three points for the Reds – can’t be ignored as he let the ball roll past him, the fact that Everton have only conceded 30 goals this season is a testament to the impact he’s helped make.
It has been reported that Everton can buy Coady this summer for just £4.5m when his loan deal finishes, and considering Everton have spent more than that on players such as Mykolenko and Dwight McNeil in recent times, signing Coady should be a no-brainer.
About the Author
