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Seamus Coleman names player who's prevented Everton being a Championship club
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- Seamus Coleman names player who's prevented Everton being a Championship club
Seamus Coleman bowed out of Everton in the summer with plenty of happy memories.
But there were also a fair few he would rather forget, such as seasons in which the Toffees were battling at the wrong end of the division.
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One case in point was just a couple of campaigns ago when, not helped by points deductions, Everton flirted with the drop at one point.
Thankfully, that never happened and the Toffees remain proud of being a Premier League ever-present.
Coleman spent 17 years on Merseyside and crossed paths with all types of players in that time in terms of quality.
But in the view of the Irishman himself, there is one player Everton have to thank for not dropping out of the division.
Seamus Coleman talks up Jordan Pickford's importance to Everton
Nobody really needs telling, but Jordan Pickford has been an unbelievable servant for Everton - just as Coleman was.
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The England international is into his 10th campaign as an Everton player and is not far off making 400 appearances.
Pickford has been Everton's Player of the Season in four of those previous nine campaigns, most recently in 2023-24.
And Coleman admits Everton would have been playing in the Championship if not for the 32-year-old's performances in goal.
"He's brilliant," Coleman said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football. "He's so dedicated to his craft and good fun to be around.
"In terms of on the pitch, there's no coincidence why he's played so many times for England.
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"You can't even count on one hand how many mistakes he's made for England.
"For Everton, I've said before that without Pickford we'd certainly be in the Championship - he's been that important for Everton Football Club."
Pickford really has been superb for Everton down the years and will bow out a club legend when he does eventually leave.
Seamus Coleman has just exposed Everton's biggest recruitment flaw to Jamie Carragher What is Jordan Pickford's Everton contract situation?
There have been summers in which it looked as though Pickford could be on his way out.
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That has not happened, however, and he last year signed another new deal on Merseyside that runs until the summer of 2029.
Everton thankfully have Pickford tied down , with the player himself showing no desire to want to leave.
It is a match made in heaven and hopefully he has another few seasons at the top left in him yet.
