Everton have announced Seamus Coleman has put pen to paper on a new five-year deal despite being sidelined with a broken leg.
Coleman isn’t expected to return until 2018 after suffering a double fracture to his right leg from a horrific tackle by Neil Taylor in Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Wales at the end of March.
The Everton right-back has been a pillar of consistency for the Toffees in the last few years and had actually agreed terms to his new deal prior to injury, while chairman Bill Kenwright reassured the defender it would be honoured.
“I’m delighted to get this signed,” Coleman told the club’s official website. “I’ve been here for a long time and it’s a special club that means a lot to me.
“Everything had been agreed and I was due to sign it after the international break but unfortunately I got the injury. The chairman messaged me the night of my injury and said, ‘Don’t worry about it because when you come back this contract is still waiting for you’. That sums up what the chairman and this club is all about.
“Farhad Moshiri also sent me cards and said the support was always going to be there. I’m delighted with how the club has handled the situation. Knowing that I was going to come back and sign it has definitely helped things. It’s a massive boost and gives me something to fight for.
“I want to prove my worth when I come back and show the club were right for rewarding me with this long-term contract.”
Everton only paid £60,000 to Sligo Rovers in January 2009 for Coleman’s signature and they probably won’t even invest more shrewdly in another player again. He has developed into one of the best full-backs in the Premier League since then and has even been linked with Manchester United in the past.
In fact, only four Everton players have registered more assists in the Premier League than Coleman (6) since the start of last season.
For more stats on Seamus Coleman, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
