Frank Lampard sends blunt message to Everton as rumour emerges about Coventry star

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Everton are likely to face Frank Lampard next season.

The 47-year-old currently has Coventry sitting six points clear of Middlesbrough at the top of the Championship, largely thanks to the heroic efforts of Bobby Thomas at the back.

As a result, the Daily Mail believe Everton are now interested in signing the central defender to improve the backline for David Moyes.

However, a deal will seemingly not materialise as long as Frank Lampard has a say in the matter.

Frank Lampard tells Everton and West Ham that Bobby Thomas is going nowhere

West Ham are also keen on signing the Coventry No.4 this winter, but the former Everton boss intends to keep the 24-year-old around.

When told about interest in Clark in his press conference on Friday afternoon, Lampard – who remains fond of Everton – responded: “Heard that yesterday, and I think everyone knows how I feel about Bobby Thomas. He’s a player for this club and we’ve got 20 games to try and do something this year, so that’s the answer.”

Clearly, the man from Romford has absolutely no intention of allowing Everton to take his colossal defender, who can boast two goals and three assists in 22 Championship appearances so far this season.

Everton may have a better chance of signing the defender should Coventry fail to go up, as he will only have 12 months remaining on his contract at the end of the season.

Bobby Thomas is not an ideal option for Everton regardless

As talented as Thomas is, Everton have more of a need for a new full-back or two instead of another central defender.

Moyes already has four options in James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jake O’Brien to fill two positions in central defence, but has been forced to use the latter at right-back due to the lack of a standout option in that area.

So, if Everton were to make the odd decision of signing another centre-back instead of a right-back this month, they would at least ideally carry some versatility and be able to slot in elsewhere.

Thomas does not tick that box, as all of his 198 career appearances have come at centre-back.