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Everton cannot repeat contract mistake that left club great feeling hurt
Sean Dyche says he has “a heart as big as a bucket”. To Frank Lampard he is “one of the best people I have ever met”. And Carlo Ancelotti described him as a dressing room titan comparable to Paolo Maldini, John Terry and Sergio Ramos.
To attempt to sum up the impact Seamus Coleman has had on Everton is a fool’s errand. We can all see the role he has played on the pitch. Off it we know he has been a talisman during difficult times because everyone keeps telling us. And there will be so much that we do not know.
That is why I feel it is important that any uncertainty over his next step is addressed in the next week. Hopefully the club captain can continue his impact as a player next season. But if not, or if it is to be in a backroom capacity, he deserves a fitting reception at what would then be his final competitive game in Royal Blue at Goodison.
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Seamus Coleman is one of several players whose contracts expire at the end of this season. Conversations between the Blues hero and the Finch Farm hierarchy are likely to have taken place already - though it is clear from Dyche’s recent comments that the lack of stability in the boardroom is limiting what moves can be made going into the summer.
Coleman will hold value to Dyche and his dressing room whatever the outcome of the club’s takeover saga and latest efforts to comply with financial regulations. Injuries have limited his minutes in recent seasons but when he has stepped onto the pitch he has been influential - “a warrior for weeks” as Lampard’s side inched to safety and the man behind the audacious winner that saw his club earn a crucial win over relegation rivals Leeds United under Dyche.
Coleman was unable to play a role on the pitch during the landmark run of victories last week but his presence was obvious. He greeted every player with a handshake as they came off the pitch following the win over Liverpool and was then overlooking Goodison’s hallowed turf on a new banner unfurled in the Park End ahead of Brentford. He has long been the link between the players and the supporters and his rousing words at tough times have been pivotal in stressing the responsibility his teammates have to those in the stands.
In his pre-Luton Town press conference, Dyche confirmed Coleman was fit again and that is particularly poignant given Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson are both set to miss the rest of the campaign. As a result, it means there is every chance he will play a role in the final games of the season - though just one, against Sheffield United next week - will be in front of the home fans.
It is clear that Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell are working against a tough backdrop of uncertainty as they prepare for next year - Dyche likening it to “juggling with sand” as he acknowledged the additional time to plot for this summer compared to last is undermined by the uncertainty off the pitch. Making commitments in that context is tough. And Coleman, who openly admitted that last season he applied more consideration than normal to the question of whether or not to sign a contract extension, will have his own thoughts and ambitions. It has long been assumed he will have a say in how and when he leaves that dressing room and that may well be the case.
But there have been occasions in the recent past when long-serving players have not had a moment they deserved, one example being Phil Jagielka, who recently told of his "hurt" at not getting a clear send-off after 12 years at the club. That cannot be the case with Coleman. If he is ready to take on another season as a player then the Everton dressing room will be better for it. If not, for whatever reason, it would be fitting for the fanbase to know that in advance so that against Sheffield United they can show their love and respect for a player who, 15 years ago, arrived as a boy from Ireland and rose to become a legend in Liverpool.
