Good to see it is only a loan. He was excellent in pre-season and now that Agger is gone, there is an opening for a potential long term CB, especially if Sakho keeps copying the Lucas Leiva playbook and passing the ball to opponents for fun like he did away at Spurs.
I thought Coates really was impressive during pre-season, and after all, that's what it's all about, isn't it? Go out on loan last season (he did), come back better (he did). Hopefully he'll be a week-in-week-out starter at Sunderland, and with a manager who is a native Spanish speaker and played many years in the league, maybe Coates will be able to pick up on the nuances of English football even more.
Although I was also pleasantly surprised, when I watched that interview he did for their website, to see how much his English has improved. Good on him for making an effort. I like this lad.
Good luck to him and hope Rodgers keeps an eye on him this year.
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