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.

GiveMeSport Transfer Update

GiveMeSport Transfer Update

What’s the latest on Coady and Tarkowski?

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.”

What has Phillips said about Coady and Tarkowski?

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.”

Will Coady and Tarkowski continue to perform?

The stats suggest that there is no reason to assume that Coady and Tarkowski are going to experience a sudden drop off in form this season.

The pair have been an incredibly useful addition for Lampard, with the club now boasting the joint-second best defensive record in the Premier League at the time of writing, having conceded just six goals so far this season.

Tarkowski and Coady have both earned themselves an average SofaScore rating of 7.27 and 6.92 respectively for their Premier League performances so far this season, suggesting that the pair have performed to a consistently solid standard throughout the beginning of the current campaign.

Therefore, it seems that the two centre-back summer signings have been fantastic additions to the Everton squad this season, with neither player costing the club anything in the way of transfer fees so far.