Tottenham Hotspur target Jarrad Branthwaite has been sensational for Everton this season and it’s no surprise he’s starting to attract interest from other teams.
Everton are proving plenty of people wrong under Sean Dyche this season and are motoring away from the bottom three after their ten-point deduction.
Speaking on TalkSPORT (19/12 8:54am), Alan Stubbs was raving about the young centre-back.
It looks as though Ange Postecoglou’s side are going to dip into the transfer market in January to bring in a new defender.
Tottenham have held talks with Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo ahead of next month’s window.
Cristian Romero may be a World Cup winner, but his tendency for a rash challenge means Postecoglou may not trust him to see out a full campaign.
His red card against Chelsea was well-deserved and he was very fortunate to avoid a four-game ban for his tackle on Callum Wilson last week.
Micky Van de Ven’s injury has hampered his exceptional start to life at Tottenham, while Postecoglou has no interest in playing Eric Dier.
It’s therefore no surprise that Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite is on Tottenham’s shortlist of players they want to sign.
Valued at £75m by the Toffees, that’s likely to put Spurs off but there’s likely to be some negotiating room within that asking price.
Tottenham target Branthwaite starring for Everton this season
Speaking on TalkSPORT about Everton’s recent good form, Stubbs said: “I think the biggest plus and I don’t really want to give him too much praise because there’s already a lot of people looking at him.
“Jarrad Branthwaite has been absolutely outstanding. He has really been the jewel this season I must admit.
“His performances have been nothing short of fantastic, for such a young lad coming into the team.”
Given Romero’s disciplinary issues, Van de Ven’s injury and Postecoglou’s lack of faith in Dier, bringing in at least one centre-back in the next couple of transfer windows is essential.
While Todibo would be a great option, Branthwaite is improving at such a rate that it would be mad for Tottenham not to consider negotiating with Everton over his future.
While Sean Dyche and Postecoglou play very different styles, Branthwaite’s international career should give Tottenham fans hope that he’s capable of adapting to a more possession-based system.
England’s Young Lions play some brilliant football and every player is trusted in possession in dangerous areas, with passing out from the back expected.
Branthwaite is going to be ready to make a step up soon and a move to North London makes a lot of sense.
Postecoglou needs time to mould his squad, Branthwaite move makes a lot of sense
One of the things Tottenham need to consider that makes signing Branthwaite from Everton an attractive option is their home-grown quota.
Looking at the signings that they made in the summer, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and youngster Ashley Phillips count towards that allocation.
Branthwaite has a big future ahead of him and could end up being a future England international and signing him would allow Spurs to look abroad in another area.
The 21-year-old impressed on loan at PSV Eindhoven last season and has carried that form into this campaign, starting 14 league games already.
He ranks in the top 20% of centre-backs in Europe for blocks, interceptions and aerial duels won.
His passing stats are hard to judge considering the system he plays in at Goodison Park right now.
But that can be worked on and as explained above, he wouldn’t be part of the England Under-21 setup if he wasn’t happy to play out from the back.
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