Everton are close to tying up a deal to sign experienced centre-back Conor Coady as a solution to their defensive injury crisis.
The Blues moved swiftly in the transfer market following the weekend defeat by Chelsea, where Ben Godfrey suffered a broken leg, and injury-troubled Yerry Mina also limped out of the game.
Boss Frank Lampard has shown an interest in Wolves and England defender Coady - who was born Merseyside - but that intensified further when he realised he is likely to be without the two injured defenders for several months which has left him short on bodies at the back.
It is understood the deal could initially be on a loan basis, with an obligation to make the deal permanent under certain circumstances. Coady is the Wolves skipper and has been a mainstay of the team for the past seven years and also become a regular in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
But a change in formation this season has seen him slip down the pecking order, with the defender only on the bench for Saturday’s defeat to Leeds United, as his team went with a flat back four. The 29-year-old, who played for Liverpool's youth teams but only made two senior appearances before he was sold to Huddersfield in August 2014, wants regular football in a World Cup year, after making himself a valuable player for Southgate, given his experience in a back three, which the England boss often prefers.
Lampard has also used that system regularly, and adopted it against Chelsea at weekend, where Godfrey was stretchered off after just 10 minutes, and Mina also departed in the second half. Speaking about the pair the Blues manager said: “With Ben we are thinking two or three months, that is a really quick assessment, we will find out in the next two or three days. Yerry, I have got no idea, we are assessing that.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Coady be a hit at Everton? Let us know in the comments section
Coady is a keen on a move back to his home town, and is likely to become one of three Everton signings in the coming days. The Blues have already confirmed the £33.7m capture of Lille midfielder Amadou Onana, with Lampard expressing his delight at the signing of the exciting and highly rated 20 year old. Director of Football Kevin Thelwell and chairman Bill Kenwright secured the purchase as they beat West Ham to the punch, and Lampard said: “He is a fantastically talented young player. I'm not sure how much people in this country will have seen him, but we have followed him for a long time.
“We have worked really hard to bring him to the club and I think he is going to be a really good player for us. His physicality, his energy, his quality on the ball - he has the attributes of a really good all-round midfield player. Everton are also close to finalising a deal to bring Paris St Germain’s midfield star Idrissa Gana Gueye back to the club he left in 2019, with an agreement reached in principle.
