Coleman to stick with Toffees for four more years

REPUBLIC Of Ireland U21 international Seamus Coleman yesterday agreed a four-year contract extension with Everton.

The Donegal native has been on loan at Blackpool since March and has helped guide the Ian Holloway managed team to the Championship play-off final, where they take on Cardiff City on Saturday for a place in the Premier League.

Beforehand, the former Sligo Rovers defender played seven times for Everton, with his most eye-catching performance being his man-of-the-match display in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in December.

“The few games for the Everton first team whetted my appetite, so I jumped at the chance,” Coleman said of his loan spell. “Don’t get me wrong, it was great to even be on the bench for Everton, but getting experience was important to me.

“All I ever want to do is play. Every single game you play in, you learn from and playing regularly is what I want to do. My long-term ambition is to establish myself in the Everton first team and I’m happy to have broken in during my first season.”

Everton manager David Moyes said: “You’ve got to remember this is a boy we’ve taken from Ireland, we’ve paid £60,000 for him and we’ve brought him in and he’s had very little of what I would call senior football. So we had to get him some games.”

Today, Coleman’s family in Killybegs are making the trip to London ahead of Saturday’s play-off final along with a number of Coleman’s friends from the fishing town in south-west Donegal.

“We’re so proud of Seamie and the thing about him is that he’s still the exact same fella that left to go to England,” explained dad Henry. “Even last weekend, he spent the evening outside with the youngsters who are neighbours of ours kicking football.

“He’s always been the same – if he was playing or training or whatever he was always the first person there and afterwards he would play until light would allow no more. You just couldn’t get him in! Whether it was soccer or gaelic football, he always gave it 100%.”

Moyes added: “I think he’s someone who has caught the imagination of a lot of the supporters.

“He had a terrible injury in pre-season which kept him out and, if hadn’t been for that, he might have had more games and he might have even been further along. But I think these games for Blackpool, at the level they’re playing at, will do him no harm at all.”

Coleman becomes the second Toffees player to put pen to paper this week following Tuesday’s announcement that Tim Cahill has also signed on for another four years.