Everton: Sean Dyche won’t lose sleep allowing Conor Coady departure as contract stance emerges
Everton are reportedly yet to make a decision on the long-term future of defender Conor Coady and Sean Dyche won’t lose any sleep allowing him to return back to Wolves this summer.
Coady joined the club on a season-long loan last summer from Wolves and was one of the first names on the team sheet alongside James Tarkowski under Frank Lampard, but swiftly lost his place to Michael Keane since Sean Dyche’s arrival.
With the Toffees having the option to make his move permanent this summer there has been speculation about whether they will trigger it now that he isn’t first-choice, but a new report by the Liverpool Echo (10 April) claims they are yet to decide what they will do.
According to the Echo, the Toffees haven’t made a decision about making his move permanent this summer with the club still focusing on the tight relegation battle in the Premier League.
Having previously looked odds on to secure a long-term Goodison Park stay, that slide down the pecking order of late has ensured that it is no guarantee that Coady will be with the club next season, despite Everton having the chance to sign the experienced defender for just £5m.
And Dyche certainly won’t be worried about losing Coday one bit if the worst to happen as Everton have arguably and potentially a better permanent successor who is set to return from his successful loan spell elsewhere, and that man is Jarrad Branthwaite.
The Finch Farm academy graduate has proven an absolute revelation during his loan spell at PSV Eindhoven with the 20-year-old loanee proving in Holland why he is amongst one of the most exciting young centre-backs on the continent and has received glowing praise from his current boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, with the Manchester United legend recently describing him as a “complete” player.
Such all-around quality has been evident throughout the campaign in the Dutch Eredivisie as Branthwaite has impressively registered four goals and provided one assist from 29 games in all competitions showcasing his elusive attacking threat, while also proving his defensive qualities, averaging 0.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game from his 21 league outings – a better record than that of Coady (0.6 and 0.6), as per SofaScore.
Branthwaite has also averaged 3.2 clearances, a decent record to Coady’s 3.4 tally and his passing out from the back ranks better than the England international also, successfully completing 88% of his passes and averaging 0.3 key passes per game [WhoScored] proving Everton are in very capable hands if Coady is to leave.
Such a promising stint abroad has even seen the Eredivisie side attempt to sign the towering asset on a permanent deal, with reports in January suggesting that Everton had turned down an offer of around £15m for his future services – an indication of just how highly-rated he is at the Philips Stadion.
If the Toffees know what is good for them and their own future, they will provide Branthwaite with the tools he needs to become a future success at Goodison Park. They may not need to waste money and keep Coady after all.