Everton: 'Underrated' duo now 'massive players for Lampard' at Goodison Park

Everton centre-backs Conor Coady and James Tarkowski have proven to be “really reliable” players for manager Frank Lampard, and have been backed to continue to be “massive” for the side, by journalist Simon Phillips.

Both players signed for the Merseyside club in the previous transfer window, and have become regulars at Goodison Park.

Tarkowski was the first of the pair to arrive at Everton, after signing a four-year contract with the club in July following his contract expiry at Burnley at the end of last season.

It wasn’t until August when Lampard’s side secured the signing of former Liverpool youth product Coady, after signing the centre-back on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the option to buy the 29-year-old at the end of the loan.

The pair have impressed as a centre-back partnership at Goodison so far this season, with the latter even being named as captain in the absence of Jordan Pickford in the side’s 1-0 victory over West Ham United earlier this month.

And Phillips has been impressed with the club’s additions at centre-back this summer, and believes that both players are “very underrated.”

He told GIVEMESPORT: “They’ve already proven to be really reliable for Lampard.

“You can see that they’re playing for Lampard, and they’ve bought into his vision and what he’s trying to create there at Everton.

“They’re literally the core of that team, the spine of that team if you want to call it that, and I think they’re both very underrated players.

“They’re going to continue to be massive, massive players for Lampard and the exact fit of player that he wanted to come in and just provide that leadership and that stability at the back and the core of this team.”

The stats suggest that there is no