As Everton captain Seamus Coleman has declared, his leadership comes from inside, but who might steer the Blues on the pitch next season if the Irishman isn’t there? Coleman remains a hugely-influential figure at Goodison Park but given that he turns 34 in October, there also has to be a realisation that he cannot continue as a Premier League footballer forever.
Everton splashed out £11.5million plus add-ons when acquiring Scotland international Nathan Patterson from Rangers in January and the 20-year-old is viewed as the Blues’ long-term solution when it comes to the right-back position. The Glaswegian’s first team opportunities might have been sparse so far – a solitary 45-minute run-out at home to non-League Boreham Wood in the FA Cup – but next term he is expected to provide his skipper with a much more sustained challenge for his jersey.
While model professional Coleman remains super-fit, former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti’s claim that he could keep playing until he is 40 seemed somewhat optimistic. The likes of Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta might have got away with it at Milan but the game is played at a less frantic pace in Italy.
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Perhaps Coleman’s career in the English top flight could be prolonged by a move inside to centre-back as part of the three-man defence that Frank Lampard is a fan of, certainly the Blues boss couldn’t have been more glowing of his captain after Premier League safety was achieved with a 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace, proclaiming that he was: “The best man I’ve met in my life,” a “warrior” with unrivalled “morals and standards.” Even before the £60,000 signing from Sligo Rovers inherited the armband from Phil Jagielka in 2019, he was always a dominant character around Finch Farm.
Assessing those traits within him, Coleman told the club’s website : “You can read all the books and listen to all the podcasts you want, to try to learn about leadership – but it is in me. You are who you are. I know you can always learn but there is no magic to it.
“I don’t see myself as a leader, or look to be that way. Everyone is different. I don’t look to other leaders.
“I just want what is best for people and I work hard. I know everyone has heard me saying for so long that all I want is for Everton to be successful, but I can’t shy away from that fact.”
Patterson may well prove to be a worthy long-term successor for Coleman in terms of his position on the field but Lampard still needs to find suitable leaders to fill the void. Some people have reservations about handing the captaincy to goalkeepers but among the Blues existing players, England number one Jordan Pickford is arguably the leading candidate to wear the armband if Coleman is absent.
A hugely vocal presence on the pitch – which has to be a big plus despite what Stephen Warnock claims – he is now a senior pro at 28, has been with Everton for five years – and has now opened talks over a new deal – while he enjoyed one of his most-consistent runs of form last season.
Michael Keane, who has also fulfilled the role on a temporary basis, is of a similar age and also joined the Blues back in 2017 but he seems quieter and might not be guaranteed his place in the side. Also in defence, Ben Godfrey has been earmarked as some as being a potential Everton captain but for now the 24-year-old remains a work in progress.
In midfield, Allan (31) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (29) both have the experience but neither seem to possess obvious captaincy credentials, especially the former given his limited grasp of English. Out on the wing, home-grown hero Anthony Gordon could be a left field choice – literally if he swaps flanks with Richarlison on his way to Tottenham Hotspur – but while the young Scouser has got plenty of personality, he’s only just established himself in the senior side.
It’s been an issue with this Everton team for several years now. Back in 2019, the Blues brought in Fabian Delph with just that in mind.
Here was a senior pro, an England international who had won the Premier League with Manchester City and had famously displayed his forthright views in front of Pep Guardiola and his team-mates at the Etihad in the All or Nothing documentary with his “Basics of football” speech in the dressing room. But while the Yorkshireman was a steadying influence when he did pull on an Everton shirt, the problem was that chronic injury problems ensured such instances were all too rare.
Indeed, Delph’s mark in the ECHO’s player ratings for last season was higher than anyone else who turned out more than once yet he only featured in 11 games in 2021/22 and a mere 35 Premier League matches over three seasons at the club. As of July 1, he will no longer be a Blues player but a new face on his way in might help solve the dilemma.
James Tarkowski’s free transfer to Everton is set to be confirmed now that his contract at Burnley has officially expired and it’s hoped that his impact could be two-fold. As well as featuring in over 30 Premier League matches over the past five seasons – including 35 plus for the last four – the Mancunian centre-back captained the Clarets on a dozen occasions last term.
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