Tottenham Hotspur have established links with a move for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, and by the looks of it, Daniel Levy is set to push for a possible move for his signatures as he looks to back the North Londoners’ new head coach Thomas Frank with qualitative signings.
We saw how Ange Postecoglou had to face a lot of defensive frailties in the last season because of injuries and lack of depth in the defensive roster, so now going into the offseason, Daniel Levy is trying to ensure that the same doesn’t repeat under the Danish head coach when the next season comes around. And this has seen Tottenham being linked with multiple centre-backs in the past weeks, where the rumours have flown from a move for someone like Nathan Collins to Marc Guehi. But now the name of Jarrad Branthwaite has been resurfacing yet again, with reports insisting that the North Londoners are willing to look through his £70m price tag, and this has pushed us to consider how he will fit at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium under the Dane.
How does Jarrad Branthwaite slot into Thomas Frank’s Tottenham?
Tottenham considering swoop for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite
So when we speak about the system that Thomas Frank is expected to implement at Tottenham, especially his renowned 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 hybrid formation, this is where the centre-backs are tasked with much more than just ball-clearing, given how they also have to act as tempo controllers. And in Branthwaite, Tottenham can sign someone who is left-footed, so by nature, he has that capacity to open up the angle of the left half-spaces and wide channels, which can come in very handy every time that the North Londoners are trying to build around a pressing trap.
He is progressive but measured, given how the 22-year-old will not end up attempting those vertical passes out of a tackle like Romero sometimes does, and instead he will rather think about playing it along to Udogie or a dropping #6 (e.g., Bentancur or a new pivot like Veiga).
The Everton academy graduate is also really good at playing under pressure and playing a diagonal ball, something that can become critical when he is pressed by high lines in Champions League games.
Branthwaite provides Frank the option to initiate from both directions, allowing build-up symmetry, something that Brentford under the Dane always lacked with Ethan Pinnock.
Branthwaite could be a key to Thomas Frank’s compact defensive identity
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The best of Thomas Frank’s teams have been built on close compactness in a mid-block rather than hyper-pressing, and this is where Branthwaite has been excellent for Everton. The 51-year-old can use the strengths of the 22-year-old in tight vertical distances given how he excels at working between defence and midfield, something that can become important for Tottenham to regain control out of possession.
The England international is also good at understanding the central passing channels and anticipating stepping into passing channels, which makes him ideal for cutting off passes into zone 14.
He is also good at staying square while defending runners, and this will come into play, especially when Porro/Udogie are in advanced attacking positions.
So if you are playing in a back four or rotating three, the 22-year-old brings a sense of calmness, something that Tottenham lacked last season when Romero or Van de Ven left their zones.
Who would you take Jarrod Branthwaite or Marc Guehi?
When we compare the attributes of Jarrod Branthwaite with Marc Guehi, the former is a natural left-footed centre-back, while the latter has been filling in on the LCB role for a while at Crystal Palace despite being predominantly a right-footed centre-back. Moreover, if we start digging into their key strengths, the Everton man is more composed in duels, while he relies more on reading the opponents, while his Eagles counterpart is quite aggressive and more tight when marking his man.
When it comes to build-up sequences, Branthwaite has that diagonal play-switching capability along with his tempo retention whilst in possession, but Guehi relies more on short passing accuracy and vertical zip-throughs.
And the most important of all, the Toffees man is more comfortable in a mid-block or deep line, while Guehi prefers playing in an aggressive press.
So tactically, Branthwaite brings symmetry and natural width to the left-hand side, which is vital when building through a dropping Bentancur or progressing through Udogie and Guehi (while he is press-resistant) wants to play in man-marking systems and is more reliant on vertical duels than holding zones.
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Author Opinion
Everton centre-back is made for system-led progression, which Thomas Frank wants to implement at Hotspur Way, and his ability to be calm when facing pressure situations whilst being a natural left-footed defender. Given his spatial reading, he is exactly the type of anchor that Thomas Frank wants to build a back line around. That being said, while Guehi is a strong candidate in a more aggressive and man-orientated setup, he doesn’t have the same value that Branthwaite brings to the table.