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Everton have signed England centre-back Conor Coady on a season-long loan.
Everton lost Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina to injury in the defeat by Chelsea in their Premier League opener on Saturday.
“As soon as I heard the interest I really wanted to be part of it straight away. I’m over the moon to join,” said Merseyside-born Coady.
The 29-year-old said he was “desperate” to join, adding: “It’s an important day and a proud day for me.”
Coady told EvertonTV: “I know how big it is and I know the passion people have for Everton.
“I’ll give absolutely everything, every day, for this football club. I feel privileged and lucky to be given this opportunity.”
Coady is Everton’s fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of centre-back James Tarkowski and forward Dwight McNeil from Burnley and defender Ruben Vinagre from Wolves.
Everton manager Frank Lampard said: “As well as being one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders and an England international, his leadership skills will be of huge benefit to us.”
Coady made more than 300 appearances in seven seasons at Wolves after joining from Huddersfield.
The Liverpool academy product was on the bench for the Wolves’ first game of the season at Leeds, with manager Bruno Lage preferring Max Kilman and Nathan Collins in central defence.
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said Coady has been an “integral part of our success” and a “loyal servant”.
“His dedication to Wolves in that time means that we choose not to stand in the way of his desire to play football elsewhere, and he leaves with our best wishes,” said Shi.
“Even when emotionally it can be hard to part after everything we have been through together, it is important for me to look at the wider picture and make difficult decisions.
“A huge thank you to Conor for everything he has achieved at Wolves, and for being an outstanding person, on and off the football pitch.”
| Conor Coady compared with Everton defenders – 2021-22 Premier League season | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Games | Tackles | Tackle success | Duels | Duels won | Own goals | Interceptions | Clearances |
| Conor Coady (Wolves) | 38 | 31 | 45.2 | 122 | 65 | 0 | 28 | 139 |
| James Tarkowski (Burnley) | 35 | 65 | 69.2 | 353 | 242 | 1 | 48 | 183 |
| Michael Keane (Everton) | 32 | 46 | 54.4 | 250 | 156 | 2 | 62 | 128 |
| Mason Holgate (Everton) | 25 | 35 | 51.4 | 194 | 113 | 1 | 26 | 93 |
| Ben Godfrey (Everton) | 23 | 47 | 68.1 | 186 | 104 | 0 | 15 | 91 |
| Yerry Mina (Everton) | 13 | 12 | 83.3 | 76 | 51 | 0 | 11 | 37 |
Culled from BBC SPORT
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Tags: Ben Godfrey Conor Coady Dwight McNeil Everton Frank Lampard Ruben Vinagre Yerry Mina
