Jarrad Branthwaite can now be considered a key cog in the future of Everton Football Club and someone that David Moyes should want to build around rather than look to sell.
Reports indicate that clubs such as Chelsea and Tottenham are sniffing around the England international, but there is no sense that Everton are looking to sell the defender and that Branthwaite is happy on Merseyside and does not intend to force a move away.
Furthermore, Moyes wants to use Branthwaite as the cornerstone of the new era of Everton, not a sell-off piece they need to get themselves within PSR regulations like they were last summer. The hope is they can convince the young defender to sign a new contract, as his current deal is up after the 2026 campaign.
There's just no sense in Everton treating Branthwaite any other way.
He's young (he'll turn 23 at the end of June), pacy, quick, good in the air, and capable of using both feet, although he is left-foot dominant. He's also English and meets the requirements for a homegrown player for the Premier League.
And frankly, he's just a very good player who still has room to grow as a consistent tackler so that his game can age with him when his pace and quickness begin to fade further down the road of his career.
Everton should be looking at Branthwaite as one of the building blocks for the future as they make the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium, alongside players such as Iliman Ndiaye and Charly Alcaraz, not to mention key signings they add this summer.
But there's no reason to sell Branthwaite this summer or any other summer in the near future. Players of his caliber don't come around very often, and Everton should be doing all they can to keep him around for as long as they can.