Everton have extended Phil Jagielka’s contract, but should they have given Matthew Pennington a closer look instead of sending him to Leeds?
Everton have extended Phil Jagielka’s contract, ending speculation over the centre-back’s future.
Jagielka’s deal now runs until 2019, extending his previous contract by a further 12 months.
The club captain hopes to play an important role for the club over the coming campaign, and may be needed after the serious injury sustained by Argentine international Rafael Funes Mori.
Despite having the opportunity to keep Jagielka, there is a real chance he won’t see out his contract due to the talent in the club’s ranks and their spending power.
The player who hopes to force him out has just been sent on loan to Leeds United for the season, a move agreed 24 hours before Funes Mori got injured, Matthew Pennington.
Pennington, 22, has already appeared in the Premier League but manager Ronald Koeman felt he would get more first team football by dropping down to the Championship.
Jagielka made 25 league starts last season but faces a reduced role with the arrival of £25 million man Michael Keane.
Having a 34-year-old sit on the bench may be preferable to wasting a key year of Pennington’s career, but with the Europa League to balance as well, Pennington could have got key playing time to develop.
It is up to the young defender to demonstrate at Leeds United that he should never have been loaned out in the first place, and put Jagielka on notice for next summer.
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