The Liverpool Echo’s head of sport David Prentice has been discussing Everton’s young centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite.
Carlo Ancelotti’s outfit secured the services of the 18-year-old defender during the January transfer window, having paid £990,000 to sign him from Carlisle United (per Transfermarkt).
Since then, he has made three Premier League appearances for the Toffees and he picked up a solid 7/10 performance rating in the 1-0 victory over Sheffield United (per Liverpool Echo).
So, in the latest episode of the Liverpool Echo’s Royal Blue: The Everton FC Podcast, Prentice discussed the centre-back’s recent performances.
He said: “He could save Carlo Ancelotti a little bit of money in the transfer market. We went into this season without a fourth centre-back, we appear that we might possibly have one now.
“So, do we need to spend on that area of the field in the summer? Maybe not. So, maybe he’s done enough already to show Carlo Ancelotti that we do have four senior centre-backs that we can rely on.
“That places a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, but he doesn’t see it as a problem, he relishes responsibility. [In] the interview he gave after the game last week as well, he spoke very, very authoritative and you thought, ‘Hang on. This kid’s 18? Wow.’
“He speaks very, very well indeed. So, we need to temper our expectations of him equally, but there’s a lot to be excited about. He does look a very promising youngster.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what Prentice had to say, it seems to be his belief that Ancelotti may no longer need to purchase another centre-back this summer because of the 18-year-old defender.
Do Everton still need to buy another centre-back in the summer?
No, we don't need to
Yes, we still need one
Certainly, Branthwaite has shown that he can defend over his three league appearances for the Toffees having made more tackles per game on average than the club’s three other central defenders.
Branthwaite has made 1.7 tackles per game, Mason Holgate has made 1.6, Yerry Mina 1.3 and Michael Keane has made 1.0 (per WhoScored), which would seem to bode well for Everton’s youngster.