Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite has now got a double incentive to stay put reckons the club's former chief executive Keith Wyness
Jarrad Branthwaite has got a double incentive to remain at Everton, reckons a former Goodison Park chief executive. Interest is growing in the 22-year-old.
The ECHO’s Everton correspondent Joe Thomas last week produced an article to offer an update on Branthwaite's situation, stating that interest from Tottenham Hotspur – now managerless after sacking Ange Postecoglou – is currently felt to be the most serious.
It also revealed David Moyes is keen to keep the centre-back's services and build a team around him and that the England international is content at the Blues but Champions League football would appeal to him if The Friedkin Group felt a sale was right.
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Keith Wyness, who served as Everton CEO between 2004-09 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, reckons Branthwaite would be best served staying put though, due to two significant reasons.
The 67-year-old told Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast: “I think Jarrad Branthwaite has also seen a change and an excitement with Moyes coming in. The stadium and the project could be really interesting with him as a part of it.
“Everton are not in need of sales, as they were last season or the season before. Hopefully, those two things combined can persuade him to stay for a couple of years of a new contract.
“By that time, Everton could be back up competing at the top level. I think he’s best served getting the game time under David Moyes with basically a new squad and seeing how things go.”
Manchester United had offers of £35million plus add ons and then £45million plus add ons rejected for Branthwaite last summer.
Given the £80million fee that Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019, the £75million Chelsea paid for Wesley Fofana in 2022 and the £77million Manchester City paid for Josko Gvardiol in 2023, Goodison Park top brass considered their most valuable asset to be in the same bracket, especially given the premium for both left-footed defenders and homegrown talent.