Jarrad Branthwaite playing for Everton on the left. On the right is a picture of Charlie Cresswell playing for England Under-21s
Credit: Imago
Danny Wright
Thu 16 October 2025 8:10, UK
Everton are reportedly in the hunt to sign Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell.
The 23-year-old centre-back has been in superb form in France and has started to attract attention from Premier League clubs.
Everton’s defence is among the best in the Premier League so far this season, but manager David Moyes is bound to always want to keep an eye on ways he can improve things, even with James Tarkowski’s contract recently being renewed.
Not only is Cresswell young, English and in great form, the former Leeds defender is also available for a more than affordable price that should pique the interest of the Toffees ahead of the January transfer window.
David Moyes applauds fans Everton
Credit: Imago
Everton face battle to sign Charlie Cresswell but finances are more than doable
According to TBR Football, half of the Premier League has shown an interest in signing Cresswell.
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Everton have reportedly scouted the former England Under-21 international, who has played roles in back-to-back Under-21 European Championship victories for the Young Lions in the last two years.
Liverpool, Manchester City, Brentford, Brighton, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and West Ham also have tabs on Cresswell and it’s claimed Toulouse would accept a bid worth around £15million for the Preston-born centre-back.
Charlie Cresswell's stats for Toulouse this season
Credit: Sofascore
Cresswell has been in fine form in France this season.
Stats by Sofascore show that he’s won more than five duels per game on average in all competitions for the Ligue 1 club, while also helping his side keep a clean sheet in more than a quarter of the games he’s played in.
Cresswell even has one goal to his name, which came in a 6-3 defeat against European champions Paris Saint-Germain in August.
You can watch Cresswell’s goal against PSG by hitting play on the video above.
What Charlie Cresswell has said about Jarrad Branthwaite means a lot
Jarrad Branthwaite is yet to play for Everton this season due to an injury he picked up in the summer.
Before the international break, Moyes admitted that Branthwaite wasn’t even back on the grass in training yet. However, the Everton manager did say that the 23-year-old is “making progress“.
It remains to be seen what kind of player the Blues have in Branthwaite when he’s back from such a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but the ex-Carlisle centre-back is someone who Cresswell looks up to immensely.
Speaking in 2023 before England’s Under-21s won the European Championships, Cresswell was asked to share his thoughts on Branthwaite and said: “He’s a really nice guy and a really good player.
“I’ve known him since I was younger, as we were in the MU19s together. [He’s] a big, commanding and strong centre half.”
Cresswell and Branthwaite played alongside one another in England Under-21s’ 2-0 win over Germany at the Under-21s Euros in 2023.
Cresswell played every minute of every game at the 2025 Euros as England beat Germany in the finals after extra time.
He started his career at Leeds, had a full season on loan at Millwall in 2022-23 and joined Toulouse in 2024.
The centre-back has played 41 times in total for Toulouse, scoring five goals.
Cresswell also spoke highly of James Garner.
“Jimmy is a versatile player with a great attitude. He’s a great player to have in the squad and is a good guy, like everyone else here,” the now-Toulouse defender added.
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