For many years, Everton fans have mainly seen Michael Keane as a subpar center back and a bit of a meme. Some supporters ironically asked for the team to play him as a striker due to his uncanny ability to score random bangers.
Fast forward to 2025, and fans are still asking for Keane to play striker, but he’s also quietly become Everton’s best defensive player.
In Everton’s 1-1 draw against West Ham, the English international scored the only goal for the Toffees thanks to his towering header.
Although West Ham’s goal came from a shot that touched Keane, that goal was hardly his fault, and he was basically untouchable for the remainder of the match.
Keane was slick in possession and fearless when it came to standing his ground. Keane had 11 clearances and won six out of his nine aerial duels.
Now, let’s be honest about the current context that Keane is thriving in. The only reason why he’s playing is that Jarrad Branthwaite is still out injured. However, when Branthwaite eventually returns from injury, perhaps Keane will be his center-back partner and not James Tarkowski.
Tarkowski has had a bad start to the season, and he had yet another unconvincing performance against West Ham. Some might argue that he’s struggling because Branthwaite’s still out. But, regardless of who’s partnering with him in defense, Tarkowski needs to step up and show the quality he has delivered in years prior. Keane has had no problem playing with Tarkowski, which makes me believe that he’ll also succeed with Branthwaite.
Nevertheless, Keane’s rise has been a welcome surprise to the Toffees, and hopefully, he continues this stretch for as long as possible.