Conor Coady to join Everton on loan as Wolves target Guedes for £27.5m
Conor Coady will join Everton on loan in a deal that could be completed as early as Monday. Wolves have sanctioned the temporary exit of their captain to allow him to play regular football in the build-up to the World Cup and Everton will have an option to buy the England centre-back at the end of the season. Wolves, meanwhile, will make the Valencia forward Gonçalo Guedes their second summer signing in a £27.5m deal.
Coady, a product of Liverpool’s academy, will bolster Everton’s defensive options after Ben Godfrey fractured his leg in the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. Coady started every Premier League game for Wolves last season but was among the substitutes as they began the campaign with a defeat at Leeds at the weekend. The 29-year-old is a hugely popular figure at Molineux and Bruno Lage was happy to keep the defender, but he departs with the head coach’s blessing.
Coady is a victim of Lage’s decision to shift his tactics during the close-season and opt for a back four, preferring Nathan Collins – a £20.5m summer arrival from Burnley – and Max Kilman in a two-man central defence. Coady has played in a back five for the majority of his time at Wolves, whom he joined from Huddersfield in 2015. Everton tend to operate with a back five and Coady could slot in alongside Yerry Mina and James Tarkowski, another summer signing. Meanwhile, Frank Lampard has confirmed the 20-year-old midfielder Amadou Onana is set to sign from Lille.
On Friday Lage described Coady as “one of the best people I know in football”. He added: “Since Wolves arrived in the Premier League do you know how many games they played? 152. You know how many games Coady played? 151. With me he played all the games. Massive respect from me to Coady and massive respect from the club to Coady. Now I have more solutions and I will choose the best for my team, but I cannot forget Coady.”
Guedes has been capped 32 times by Portugal and his arrival is a welcome boost to a Wolves team short on attacking options. Last season they were the lowest scorers in the league outside the relegation zone, despite finishing 10th. Guedes, who started his career at Benfica, scored 11 league goals in La Liga last season.
Wolves remain without first-choice striker Raúl Jiménez, last season’s top scorer, who will be absent for at least another month with a knee injury. Meanwhile, Adama Traoré is sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Wolves intend to keep Morgan Gibbs-White amid serious interest from Nottingham Forest, who have had three bids rejected for the midfielder and remain keen on the player.
