Conor Coady has left Everton and returned to Wolves following his loan spell, with the Toffees having passed up an option to sign the defender on a permanent basis.

The Goodison Park club have also announced that former Wolves defender Ruben Vinagre will return to Sporting Lisbon after an injury-impacted loan spell on Merseyside.

Coady made 25 appearances for Everton this season, including a start in Sunday’s vital 1-0 win over Bournemouth which secured safety, and scored two goals.

Coady, capped 10 times by England, joined the Toffees last August in a deal which included an option to buy, but that option has now expired.

Vinagre made only four appearances in all competitions.

Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell said: “We want to sincerely thank Conor and Ruben for their impeccable professionalism and valuable contributions both on and off the pitch during their time with the club.

“We wish both players the best in their futures.”

Jordan Pickford and Anthony Gordon are "very close" to committing their future to Everton amid transfer speculation, manager Frank Lampard claimed on Friday.

The Everton goalkeeper was again an integral figure as England reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar, while Gordon was repeatedly linked to Chelsea in the last transfer window.

A Stamford Bridge move never materialised for the 21-year-old winger, who has scored three times in 14 Premier League appearances this season.

Tottenham are reportedly interested in Pickford, but Lampard does not expect the pair – along with the rejuvenated Alex Iwobi – to leave Goodison Park in the near future.

"We're in a situation where we want them to stay, and they want to stay – that's always been the feeling – so we are very close," Lampard said ahead of Monday's Premier League clash with Wolves.

"I don't want to speak for him, but Jordan feels very happy at this club. That's the impression I get. We are a huge club with a big history and big ambition, and he is a big part of that.

"Maybe, I was fortunate to play in the Champions League a lot, but when I felt comfortable at a club, I came in with a smile on my face every day and I looked forward to every game.

"If Jordan feels like that, and we can match each other's ambitions, I don't see that as a problem."

While Lampard does not envisage any key players departing in January, the former Chelsea midfielder wants to make Conor Coady's move to Everton a permanent deal.

Coady is ineligible to face parent club Wolves, with the centre-back and Pickford still reeling from England's World Cup exit at the hands of France.

"Conor has been brilliant since he's been here in every possible way," Lampard added. "I would like to make that permanent at some point. That's not happening right now, but we will keep looking at that one.

"Conor and Jordan are great because they are low maintenance. It will have hurt them – as it did the whole nation – to leave the tournament because we felt we were doing well.

"There's not much worse than that moment [when you go out]. But the beauty of this tournament being in mid-season is that they come straight back to their clubs and the Premier League, and they know how highly we regard them.

"Obviously, Conor can't play on Monday, but they've come back with a really good attitude."

England's players will discuss whether to take the knee ahead of their World Cup fixtures before Monday's Group B opener against Iran, says Conor Coady.

The vast majority of Premier League players took the knee in a show of solidarity with those facing racial discrimination at the end of the 2019-20 season and throughout the two following campaigns.

England continued with the gesture at Euro 2020 last year, and were jeered for doing so by Hungary supporters ahead of a Nations League defeat in Budapest this June.

Asked whether the Three Lions would take the knee before their matches in Qatar, Coady said Gareth Southgate's squad were yet to discuss the issue but would soon do so.

"At the minute, it's not something we've spoken about as a team yet. I think we've been concentrating in terms of the game itself coming up," Coady said on Thursday. 

"I'm sure that question will be brought up in the next few days in terms of how we're going to go about Monday."

Meanwhile, the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar has attracted widespread criticism due to the country's criminalisation of same-sex relationships, and Coady described the prospect of LGBTQ+ supporters not feeling comfortable in travelling to the tournament as upsetting. 

"Of course it is [upsetting], we want every England supporter to come and support us, they push us and drive us. That's what we want as a team, we'll keep on believing in what we believe in," he said. 

"We've come to a country where we'll respect rules and respect what goes on in the country, we're all here for one thing and that's to play football.

"But in terms of what we believe in as a team, that's football for all, and for everyone to be included in our great sport."

Sandwiched between two rounds of European fixtures, this weekend's Fantasy Football selections will be giving managers one serious headache.

The Premier League big boys look set to continue rotating their squads during a gruelling period, leaving plenty of guesswork for those of us on the outside.

That is not to mention a growing list of injuries and suspensions, which could force many to opt for their wildcard at this still-early stage of the campaign.

But fear not as, with the help of Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four names we not only expect to start this weekend but also accrue some valuable points.

Emiliano Martinez (Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa)

Aston Villa's form has improved of late with two draws, including against Manchester City, and a victory in their past three league outings.

A large part of that has been down to becoming more stable at the back, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez helping his side to back-to-back clean sheets.

After keeping out Southampton and Leeds United, albeit with just two shots on target faced, he is seeking a third successive Premier League shutout for the first time since March.

Conor Coady (Everton v Manchester United)

Everton have looked to improve at the back this season and boast the best defensive record at this stage, having conceded seven goals across their opening eight matches.

Their new-found defensive resilience has coincided with the arrival of Conor Coady on loan from Wolves.

Coady was also on target in the win over Southampton last week, making him the fifth Premier League defender this term to score, assist and register a clean sheet.

James Maddison (Bournemouth v Leicester City)

Leicester City midfielder James Maddison caught the eye again with his double in the 4-0 win against Nottingham Forest, strengthening calls for him to be part of England's World Cup squad.

Maddison has been involved in 40 goals (25 goals, 15 assists) since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, a tally only Kevin De Bruyne (50) and Bruno Fernandes (48) can better.

He has five goals and two assists this season, accounting for 50 per cent of Leicester's goals – only Wolves winger Daniel Podence (67) and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (59) have been involved in more of their side's goals.

Roberto Firmino (Arsenal v Liverpool)

In what has been a difficult campaign to date for Liverpool, the form of Roberto Firmino – who many predicted to depart Anfield – has been particularly surprising.

Not only has Firmino been Liverpool's best attacker with five goals and three assists, only Haaland (17) and De Bruyne (nine) have been involved in more in the division.

The Brazil international will look to continue that form on Sunday as he has scored more league goals (nine) and been involved in more (12) against Arsenal than any other side.

Chelsea's admiration of 23-year-old Milan forward Rafael Leao is not a secret.

The Blues, along with several other clubs including Manchester City, are keen on the Portuguese.

Chelsea have also been linked with Christopher Nkunku in recent days but are plotting ways to land Rafael Leao too.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA AND MILAN PLOTTING SWAP DEAL

Chelsea and Milan are considering a swap deal whereby Rafael Leao would join the Blues, claims Calciomercato.

Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi would be part of the deal, although the Italian champions would still demand a £90million fee for the Portuguese.

According to the report, Milan will use their Champions League game on Wednesday against the Blues at Stamford Bridge to talk with Pulisic, along with Trevoh Chalobah.

ROUND-UP

– 90min claims that West Ham midfielder Declan Rice is top of Chelsea's transfer wish list. The Hammers slapped a £120m price tag on the England international in the off-season, although that will likely drop as the length of his contract shortens.

– Football Insider claims Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with 21-year-old winger Bukayo Saka on a new contract. Saka's current deal expires in 2024.

– Everton are eager to use the option-to-buy trigger in Conor Coady's loan deal from Wolves, claims The Times. Coady would cost the Toffees less than £10m.

– Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper could be sacked by owner Evangelos Marinakis, according to The Mail, with The Guardian linking Rafael Benitez with the role along with ex-Burnely boss Sean Dyche.

– Fabrizio Romano reports that former Inter and Lazio midfielder and Red Star boss Dejan Stankovic has reached a full agreement with Sampdoria to become the Italian Serie A club's new manager to replace the sacked Marco Giampaolo.

– Jose Mourinho is set to be offered a new contract by Roma, potentially keeping him in the Italian capital until 2026, reports La Repubblica.

– Sport1 claims ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has declined the opportunity to take over at Bayer Leverkusen amid their poor start to the season.

Everton have announced the signing of England international Conor Coady from Wolves.

The 29-year-old defender joins Frank Lampard's side on a season-long loan, becoming the club's fourth signing of the window after James Tarkowski, Ruben Vinagre and Dwight McNeil.

Capped 10 times by England, Coady has captained Wolves for the past four seasons and will be hopeful of making Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup in Qatar.

"It's incredible to join Everton. As soon as I heard the interest, from the manager but also the football club itself, I really wanted to be part of it straight away. I'm over the moon to join," he told the club's official website.

"I've grown up around the city, I know the football club, how big this club is and what it means to the supporters. I'm someone who was desperate to come here, to play for this club. I've got family and friends who are massive Evertonians.

"I'm here to give absolutely everything I've got for this football club. It's important I work as hard as I can to help my teammates, help the club move forward and make people proud."

Everton opened the Premier League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea but are set to strengthen their ranks further before Saturday's trip to face Aston Villa.

The signing of 20-year-old midfielder Amadou Onana from Lille is expected to be announced imminently for Everton, meanwhile, Wolves will use the sale of Coady to help fund their move for Valencia's Goncalo Guedes, which was also confirmed by the Spanish club on Monday.

#welcomeCoady pic.twitter.com/7yx1IMdAc9

Conor Coady says it was "a massive disappointment" to be booed for taking the knee ahead of England's Nations League loss to Hungary.

The Three Lions were jeered by a crowd mostly composed of young fans in Budapest after they made the gesture just before kick-off at Puskas Arena.

Dominik Szoboszlai's second-half penalty was the only goal of the game as Gareth Southgate's side laboured to a first defeat against their hosts for 60 years.

Saturday's match was originally scheduled to be played behind closed doors following racial abuse aimed towards England players on their last visit in September.

Speaking afterwards, Coady admitted such antagonism saddened him and his team-mates, but they remain undeterred in their commitment to the gesture.

"It's a massive disappointment," he told Channel 4. "It's important people understand why we are trying to do.

"It's not something you want to hear, but we want to keep pushing the message from our point of view."

Elsewhere, Coady acknowledged England must take the lessons of their defeat and turn them around ahead of further Nations League tests and the Qatar 2022 World Cup looming.

"We need to learn very quickly," he added. "We wanted to come here and win, started off quite well and they grew into the game. It's important we bounce back.

"We need to look at ourselves because these are big games. We are always looking to improve."

England now travel to Munich to face Germany next Tuesday before returning to Coady's home ground of Molineux to take on Italy and Hungary once more.

Conor Coady scored with almost the last touch of the game as Wolves fought back to draw 2-2 with Chelsea on the day a £4.25billion sale of the Blues was agreed.

Todd Boehly, who leads the consortium that will complete a takeover later this month, was in attendance at Stamford Bridge as Romelu Lukaku scored his first Premier League goals since a 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on December 29 to put the hosts 2-0 up before the hour mark.

Substitute Trinaco set up a dramatic finale, though, with a sumptuous goal 11 minutes from full-time.

Coady then popped up in the seventh minute of stoppage time to head home Chiquinho's cross and seal the most unlikely of points for the visitors.

Conor Coady believes England can learn from last year's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, just as they did from experiences at the 2018 World Cup.

The Wolves captain only made his England debut in September 2020, but has become a regular face of Gareth Southgate's squads in recent times, and will likely be a part of the Three Lions setup at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Coady – who came through the ranks at youth level with Liverpool – now has nine senior England caps, and spoke to Sky Sports ahead of Tuesday's friendly with Ivory Coast at Wembley Stadium.

"I think we can learn so much from that," he said when asked about losing on penalties to Italy in July. "That's something this group of players, this squad, this team, have done ever so well at since the World Cup in 2018 and the Nations League – trying to take on board everything we've done.

"We can learn so much. Whether it be in games, tactical stuff or obviously being around the place as well, so there's always stuff we can improve on and always stuff we can learn. That's something we try to do every time we meet up as well."

The 29-year-old has played in all 30 Premier League games for Wolves this season, and is part of a backline that has conceded just 26 goals, the fourth best in the league behind only Manchester City (18), Chelsea (19) and Liverpool (20), but insists he never takes his place in the England squad for granted.

"I never get used to the feeling because if you do, I think you become a little bit comfortable," he said.

"Getting comfortable is something I've never done in my life, I never would do. Being called up by your country is the biggest privilege a footballer can ever have in their life, so I've never got comfortable and I'll never take it for granted."

Coady also praised the new faces in the latest England squad, with Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters as well as Crystal Palace duo Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell making their senior international debuts in Saturday's 2-1 win against Switzerland.

"All of them have stood out," Coady added. "We see the quality they have in training, we see what they're like on the ball, we see how they play.

"They're fantastic footballers, but I think more importantly, they're fantastic people and that's what this squad's for. It's full of absolutely brilliant people who want to try and help and they're no different."

England's players have not turned a blind eye to the human rights situation in Qatar, but they will not have a formal conversation about it until after they secure World Cup qualification. 

Concerns over treatment of migrant workers in Qatar have sparked varying levels of protests by national teams from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and other countries. 

While some individual England players have taken high-profile stands on social issues, defender Conor Coady said everyone's first priority for the moment is reaching next year's finals. 

Group I leaders England – who face minnows San Marino – can do so with at least a point on Monday and a group discussion could soon follow. 

"A conversation hasn't been had yet because we've always said – obviously we are seeing quite a lot in the news at the minute – that we make sure we do our job first," Coady told reporters.

"We make sure we try to get to that competition as quickly as we can and then I'm sure the conversation will be had with the players.

"An incredible thing that comes out of this England squad is that people try to make a difference all the time. People are trying to use that platform.

"If there are any way players can help going forward and help in different situations, I am sure us as players and part of the England setup will try to do that.

"At the minute it is tough to speak about it because it is not something we have had a real conversation about.

"We are not robots, we are humans, we are seeing things in the news that are going on every day. But we've always said to ourselves over the last year that the most important thing is to get to where we want to be, which is to Qatar, and honestly speak about the situation when the time is right."

European champions Chelsea and French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain have both been in hot pursuit of Achraf Hakimi.

Morocco international Hakimi, 22, helped Inter win the Serie A title.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid full-back is a star on the rise.

TOP STORY – HAKIMI AGREES TO CHELSEA MOVE

Chelsea appear to have won the race for Inter defender Hakimi after he "verbally agreed" to join the European champions, according to Calcio in Pillole journalist Ekrem Konur.

Konur claims Inter want £43million (€50m) and full-back Marcos Alonso from Chelsea as part of the deal.

Footmercato reports PSG will table a second bid for Hakimi worth €70m.

ROUND-UP

- Manchester United have made their move for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane with a £50m (€58m) bid for the French defender, claims the Manchester Evening News. It is alleged Madrid want £80m (€93m) for Varane.

- Roma will turn their attention to Aston Villa's Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz should they fail to sign Arsenal's Granit Xhaka, claims Gazzetta dello Sport.

- Football Insider reports Everton are keen to pursue Wolves defender Conor Coady.

- Wolves are weighing up a move for ex-Chelsea forward Diego Costa , who is a free agent, according to UOL.