Everton face West Ham in their next league match.placeholder image
Everton face West Ham in their next league match. | Getty Images
Everton have had to cope without Jarrad Branthwaite all season, could they be about to lose him permanently?
Everton will already be planning for the January transfer window with David Moyes having one area in particular where he will want to strengthen.
The Toffees boss is crying out for a new striker given the creativity that he now has in midfield and in wide areas with summer acquisition Thierno Barry not yet living up to his £30m transfer fee or his goalscoring form in La Liga for Villarreal. The 23-year old might yet come good but no goals in 12 appearances is not helping Moyes’ cause in terms of trying to drag his team up into contention for European places.
Update on Everton’s stance on Jarrad Branthwaite
One position where Everton have depth is at centre-half, if Jake O’Brien is included, however, Moyes will be looking forward to having Jarrad Branthwaite back after undergoing surgery on the hamstring that was injured earlier this year and troubled him during the summer. Despite reports of interest from Man United, the former Carlisle United stopper committed his future to Everton by signing a new contract, despite this, speculation continues to surround his future with United said to be keen on following up their link from the previous transfer window in January.
According to Teamtalk though, Branthwaite is going nowhere with Everton adamant that they are going to build their team around the giant stopper, rather than sell him to fund additional signings. Speaking recently, Moyes cut a frustrated figure as he lamented the absence of his most valuable defender: “Jarrad's here, he's in the building. He's fine, he is in a brace, he really is disappointed.
“We're hugely disappointed because Jarrad Branthwaite would be one of our top players and for us to be playing and not having him is a big, big blow to us. We've had to do it near enough all the season so far and he'll certainly be out for a little while longer.”
How much should Everton charge for Branthwaite?
The precedent has been set for centre-halves in the Premier League with Harry Maguire’s £80m fee showing what clubs can demand for those who are classed as association trained and have the potential to be England regulars for years to come. Reports suggest that Everton have placed a £75m transfer value on Branthwaite’s head and, if United want to prise him from the Hill Dickinson Stadium, this is what they will have to pay.
Branthwaite will have been watching what his teammates have been doing and the squad that has been assembled by Moyes knowing that he isn’t far away from having a team capable of not just competing with teams like United, but of surpassing them too.
Everton might be 14th in the Premier League table, but they are only six points off Merseyside rivals Liverpool who spent over £400m in the summer. The gap isn’t an impossible one to close, but keeping players like Branthwaite will be key to Moyes’ aspirations.
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