Marco Silva said he will make a decision on Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka’s contracts “at the end of the season”. The two Everton defenders are out of contract this summer and could be on their way out of Goodison Park as a result. Silva plans to talk with them to reveal the club’s intentions
As per the Guardian, he said: “Everything is open for the players who are out of contract but the players you are talking about are special players because of everything they did and everything that they can do in the future also. We will make a decision at the end of the season. The players will be the first to know.
“I keep speaking with them. I know these type of things are coming now. We are happy and they are really important players for us even if they are not playing as much as they played in the starting XI in the last seasons. They keep being important for us.”
The pair no longer command a starting place in the side so it’s hard to see them getting new deals this summer. Baines has made only eight appearances in all competitions (556 minutes) and finds himself behind Lucas Digne in the pecking order.
The 34-year-old made only two Premier League appearances since September. Baines has been a terrific servant, nevertheless, featuring in 411 games since his 2007-move from Wigan Athletic. In his pomp, the England international was one of the best left-backs in the top-flight.
As for Jagielka, the 36-year-old has played in three league games this season and is behind Yerry Mina, Kurt Zouma and Michael Keane in the pecking order. Jagielka has amassed only 144 minutes of football. Since joining from Sheffield United in 2007, he’s made a total of 381 appearances.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Official: Everton without one player for West Ham clash, trio should return