In the Premier League’s world of big spending and astronomical transfer fees, Seamus Coleman represents a glorious throwback.
The full-back’s move to Goodison Park from Sligo Rovers in January 2009 for £60,000 barely made its mark on the football world at the time - it’s not even listed in the transfer section of the 2008/09 Everton season on Wikipedia, for example. Yet, while Toffees fans at the time may have been more excited about the recent signings of the likes of Louis Saha and Marouane Fellaini, Coleman managed to outlast all of his new teammates at Goodison Park.
Coleman’s talent and athleticism was evident from the off, winning man of the match on his Premier League debut after coming on as a first-half substitute and playing a key role in both of Everton’s goals. After going out on loan to Blackpool, Coleman was able to show his potential value as he helped the Tangerines to a shock promotion to the Premier League, and he subsequently agreed a new contract at Goodison Park.
Coleman never looked back after his return from Blackpool, immediately cementing his place as a near-permanent fixture of the Toffees side. Whilst Coleman may not be the most explosive or iconic Premier League player, his longevity is incredible. The Ireland international has played in over 20 matches in 10 of the last 12 seasons, making the fourth-highest amount of Premier League appearances for the Toffees.
Coleman had a tough ask to replace homegrown hero Tony Hibbert at Everton in the right-back spot, with Hibbert himself having made 265 appearances across 16 seasons at Goodison Park. Yet, while Hibbert holds the record for the most Everton games played by an outfield player without scoring, Coleman has chipped in with 21 league goals during his Toffees career, ranking him among some of the highest-scoring defenders in Premier League history.
Indeed, he netted seven times in Roberto Martinez’s first season in charge at Goodison Park, which probably goes under the radar a little due to how often Leighton Baines netted from left-back. Yet that’s still a total that highly-praised attacking full-backs such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ashley Cole have never managed in a single season.
With Coleman currently having cost Everton roughly £182-per-game, he undoubtedly represents the best value-for-money transfer in the Premier League, and that’s reflected in how Toffees fans still sing about “Sixty grand” - yet, whilst terrace chants and headlines may focus on his price tag, that can sometimes lead to it being overlooked just what a good player Coleman has been for Everton.
There's a reason an exuberant Frank Lampard proclaimed Coleman 'the best man I ever met' when celebrating the Toffees' survival last season.
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