BBC pundit calls for Everton to complete cheap money Conor Coady deal before Wolves visit
Conor Coady should be signed on a permanent deal in January if possible before Everton have to face Wolves again, according to Kevin Campbell.
The on-loan centre-back was forced to miss the 2-1 defeat by his parent club on Boxing Day as the option in his deal, reported to be just £4.5million [BBC Sport, 6 October], has yet to be taken up despite Frank Lampard making clear he wants him long-term [BBC Sport Merseyside on Twitter, 23 December].
And BBC pundit Campbell is certain that for that money the club should push to get the deal done as soon as possible if there is any possibility, so the 29-year-old isn’t kept out of a second game against his parent club.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News the former Toffees captain said: “I don’t think it’s going to be permanent until the end of the season, because I believe they have the option to sign him.
“Whether that could be done in January I don’t know, because don’t forget you’re going to play Wolves again away.
“So if you can make it permanent in January then you try to do that.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of why but I don’t see why for that small amount of money, £3million or £4million, you don’t.
“And he’s been captain when he’s played so it’s cheap money considering.”
If Everton can afford to bring him in permanently it really should have been done before now, and there are a couple of worrying signs currently that perhaps the finances are still in a more serious state than hoped.
With Coady’s importance to this Toffees side established in such quick time there seems to be little prospect of him returning to Molineux.
Everton travel to face Julen Lopetegui’s side in the penultimate Premier League game of the season on 20 May and if the current threat of a relegation battle takes hold then it could be an absolutely crucial game which would be a risk to face without one half of the top centre-back pairing.