Speaking to the Ben Foster Podcast, veteran defender and Everton teammate James Tarkowski described 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Jarrad Branthwaite as a ‘defensive beast’.
Tottenham’s interest in the left-footed Merseyside centre-back has been prevalent for quite some time now. Football Transfers mentioned Branthwaite among a list of players Ange Postecoglou’s side maybe interested in.
The talented young defender honed his skills in the Eredivisie last season, playing on loan at PSV Eindhoven. He returned to Everton this season and has caught the eye of Premier League giants with his performances for Sean Dyche’s men.
Standing at a commanding 1.95m, Branthwaite possesses the physical attributes to play as a centre-back. His ability on the ball is incredible for someone of his age and he shows maturity beyond his age. The fact that he is left-footed gives him an added edge.
Branthwaite has a contract with Everton until 2027 (Transfermarkt). This means that the ball is firmly in Everton’s court when it comes to negotiations with any potential buyer. One of the Toffees’ most prodigious asset, make no mistake that the Merseyside club will make life difficult for any interested team.
The answer to Tottenham’s defensive woes?
Let’s be honest here – Spurs and Ange Postecoglou have done extremely well to find themselves in the position that they currently are, in the Premier League. With their defensive fragilities and the number of suspensions and injuries that they have had, any other team in their position would have struggled massively.
In their most recent clash against Everton incidentally, Tottenham finished the game with a defence that consisted of Pedro Porro, Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Emerson Royal. At least three of those four names were playing in unnatural positions and they somehow managed to cling on to a 2-1 win.
When Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven play, Spurs’ defence looks rock solid. However, since the injury to the latter, the team has really struggled to not ship goals. Luckily for them, their attack has managed to score more goals than they concede. Special mention to Guglielmo Vicario who has been stupendous in goal as well.
Is Jarrad Branthwaite the answer?
The 21-year-old centre-back has played 18 times for Sean Dyche’s side this season across all competitions. He has made a good case for himself and definitely deserves to play for a top club.
However, there is a chance that Spurs might get priced out with respect to a move for the talented centre-back. The fact that he is a homegrown player makes him even more appealing to the English elite. All this points to a difficult battle for Tottenham, when it comes to trying and sign the player.
Ideally, we might be better off going for a different kind of player, someone lesser known like Van de Ven. Spurs have this knack of unearthing gems, especially from the Serie A. Branthwaite might not be the answer and we must be ready for it.
