Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and David Moyes applaud the club's supporters
Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and David Moyes applaud the club's supporters
Everton supporters knew it was coming. The Jarrad Branthwaite transfer rumour mill has sprung into life again.
The England international enjoyed another fine campaign for the Blues and after being the subject of two bids from Manchester United last summer - both were rejected - there is set to be more interest in the centre-back in the coming weeks.
Tottenham Hotspur hold a serious interest in Branthwaite and could offer him Champions League football. David Moyes is said to be keen to keep hold of the defender this summer though, as the Blues begin a new era at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
With that in mind, is it imperative Everton keep hold of their star defender this summer? Our Blues writers have their say.
Joe Thomas
David Moyes already viewed Branthwaite as key to his summer plans before the injury to James Tarkowski. The hope with Tarkowski is that his recovery from the hamstring issue that curtailed his season is a successful one. But it could eat into pre-season and fears of long-term consequences of an injury that required surgery will linger until he is back playing, particularly for a player whose durability is essential to his game.
With that in mind, I'd be keener than ever to keep hold of Branthwaite. The emergence of Jake O'Brien does offer a degree of protection should an offer that is too good to turn down come in, but unless there are any PSR concerns that are not in public view, he is a superstar to build the Everton of the future around.
I do think everyone has to be realistic. If a club offering Champions League football met Everton's valuation of him, then it may require everyone to be sensible. It would represent a lot of profit for the Blues and provide a real opportunity for the 22-year-old to stake a claim for the World Cup squad next year. He should be able to do that from Merseyside but Thomas Tuchel's unwillingness to select him so far has been notable.
But unless and until someone meets the valuation the club have in mind - and they will have one - my hope is Everton and Branthwaite can move forward together. Should that be the case, I do think Everton would need to reward him with a new contract. The flip side of turning down £50m+, as they did last year, is they cannot then take it for granted that he is content with the salary of a player who signed a deal reflective of having just broken into the first team.
Chris Beesley
Is keeping hold of Jarrad Branthwaite essential to Everton’s summer?
Well, no, but is Branthwaite staying the best outcome for player and Everton alike?
I believe yes.
Some 21 years ago, in his first stint as Blues boss, David Moyes lost his prize asset when Wayne Rooney defected to Manchester United. Over two decades on, it’s still a sore point with many Evertonians as they reminded the lad who once sported the ‘Once a Blue, always a Blue t-shirt,’ when he returned for Goodison Park’s final Premier League fixture.
Rooney might now be in his 40th year and of course the Croxteth-born star became Goodison’s Prodigal Son when he re-signed for a second playing stint in 2017/18, but while there’s been enough water under the bridge to fill the Mersey since his controversial move to Old Trafford, his blue-blooded Scouse brethren may have forgiven but they haven’t forgotten. For his part, Moyes went from finishing 17th with just 39 points to steering Everton to their highest-ever Premier League position of fourth the following season in the second of his nine top eight placings with the club between 2002-13.
It’s understood that Moyes 2.0 would like to build his new-look team around the three linchpins at the back of Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski and Branthwaite. But having already lost the club’s aforementioned most-gifted home-grown hero when he was just 18, cashing in on Branthwaite would not be the end of the world, so long as The Friedkin Group were able to get a proper valuation for a potentially generational talent among centre-backs.
As reported by the ECHO on Monday, Tottenham Hotspur are Branthwaite’s latest potential suitors but their owner Daniel Levy, the shrewd businessman who is understood to have tried to renege on an agreed price for Richarlison when he thrashed out a deal with Bill Kenwright over the table at swanky Mayfair seafood restaurant Scott’s, is not known for over-paying. So, that could be bad news for Blues chiefs as well as Branthwaite himself, as Spurs were an absolute basket case this season.
Yes, they could offer ‘The Carlisle Kaiser’ Champions League football next term courtesy of their back door entry after defeating fellow under-achievers Manchester United in the worst European final in living memory in Bilbao – a game that resembled two bald men fighting over a comb – but he’s already experienced that on loan with PSV and as Everton’s 75-cap England number one Pickford has shown, that’s not the be-all and end-all for top players. Let's also not forget that the Blues now find themselves at a unique and exciting time in their history.
As Branthwaite himself declared when answering questions from young supporters in March ahead of Junior Fan Day when asked about his ambitions to wear the armband: “To be captain one day would be something I’d be thrilled to do. Obviously, I’m still young at the moment and there are more-experienced players than me in the team.
“I think to play at Bramley-Moore as well, you can see how good the stadium is. So, to play there for Everton would be something I look forward to do as well.”
Matt Jones
There aren't many clubs in world football to whom the transfer foodchain doesn't apply. Everton are not one.
Typically, I wouldn't be completely averse to a sale should the Blues get a fair price for Branthwaite, as good as he's been for the club. Everton will sadly always lose their best players and selling at the right time - and reinvesting - will be key to their progression.
However, this summer might be one to dig their heels in over Branthwaite. Just because of the amount of change going on at the club already.
Moyes and the club's new-look recruitment team will have a huge job filling the gaps that are currently in the squad. Finding a replacement for Branthwaite would add another enormous task to an ever-growing list.
An influx of cash would help Everton potentially fill a number of positions and give their PSR position a big boost given Branthwaite only arrived for £1 million. Plus, the player himself would no doubt be attracted by the potential of Champions League football.
But a major restructuring of the team feels exciting when Everton have their strong defence to rely upon, of which Branthwaite was a significant part. Without him, the summer rebuild job would feel a lot more rife with jeopardy given the plethora of moving parts already in motion.