New Everton signing Conor Coady has opened up on a ‘tough’ six-week period at Wolves that led to him leaving Molineux.
The 29-year-old arrived at Goodison Park earlier this week - initially on a season-long loan with an option to buy next year - in a bid to maintain the regular football he has enjoyed during his seven seasons in the Midlands, no doubt with the 2022 World Cup this winter on his mind.
Coady has averaged just over 45 games per season in all competitions over that spell and never played less than 39 in one campaign, but a summer in which Bruno Lage spent over £20million on Nathan Collins and hinted at deploying a back-four - with the promising Max Kilman preferred - saw the 10-cap England international dropped for their opening weekend defeat at Leeds United: the final straw of a ‘tough’ period which has pushed a move away.
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“Pre-season has been tough, the last five or six weeks have been really tough to be honest,” Coady told TalkSPORT . “I want to play every single minute of every game, but I got a vibe that something's coming here, something's not right. I could sense things, something was happening, it didn't feel the same.
"I've got to be honest, I didn't like being sat on the bench at Leeds I did my best getting behind the lads, I was talking, but it didn't feel right, I didn't like it. At 29-years-old, I want to be playing football.
"It's not just a move because it's a World Cup year, I just want to play football. It was a really tough decision, but I really appreciate everyone at Wolves, it's a special club with special people."
Frank Lampard and Kevin Thelwell acted decisively once Coady’s unease at Wolves was known, with both Toffees men seeing the defender’s experience and leadership qualities as a vital addition to the squad. Similarly, Everton’s ability to offer regular football in a progressive back-three convinced the former Wolves man that Goodison was the place to go.
He could join fellow England international James Tarkowski in Lampard’s back-line for Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa, especially after the unfortunate long-term injuries for Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina.
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