Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been termed as one of the most exciting youngsters at the club. The Englishman was the first signing under Carlo Ancelotti, arriving as an exciting youngster from Carlisle United for a mere fee of £900,000.
Carlisle fans knew that Everton had managed to lure one of their biggest gems and it was in the writing that sooner or later Branthwaite would turn into a big star if given proper incubation. In limited opportunities he has had, the 19 year old has shown signs of excellence.
This season, he has only played 57 minutes of football for Everton, featuring in the 2-1 win over Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup. Branthwaite was astute, elegant and trustworthy. The youngster had an extremely healthy passing accuracy of 98% and was composed even when he was pressured upon.
Branthwaite remains a fifth centre back option behind Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate. With him being down the pecking order, game time in the first team has been hard to come by. The 19 year old continues to train with the first team and also make it to match day squads.
Everton close to agreeing to a five year deal with Jarrad Branthwaite
Branthwaite’s current deal runs out in June 2022 and Everton are well on course to renew his deal. According to Daily Mail, the Toffees are close to reaching a five year contract extension with the teenager. Branthwaite has recently featured for the U-23 side and David Unsworth has praised the former Carlisle man for his attitude.
Branthwaite’s biggest strength has been his technical abilities and ability to carry the ball. However, he still needs to polish himself to be ready for the Premier League circus. A loan to a championship side will allow him to harness the necessary skills and get the much needed playing experience.
Everton plan to send him out on loan in January to a Championship club once the contract is signed. As many as five Championship clubs have already shown interest in the 19 year old ahead of the January transfer window.
The Toffees had adopted an identical approach last year, keeping him with the first team in the first half of the season and loaning him out in January. He joined Blackburn Rovers where he endured a difficult spell. Nonetheless, it was a big learning curve for Branthwaite.
A loan outing will be beneficial for the player if he moves to a club where he can play week in week out and get into such rhythm. Everton seems well stacked in the defence despite the current injury problems and chances of Branthwaite playing regularly are dim. Instead, he can sign a new deal and move out on loan to gain some much needed playing time.
Will a loan move be favourable for Jarrad Branthwaite?