Everton could see Jarrad Branthwaite make a decision on his future this summer if he does not believe he has a future at Goodison Park.
What’s the latest?
The 20-year-old centre-back is currently spending the season away from Merseyside after making the move to the continent to play for PSV Eindhoven.
And he has made his name known in the Eredivisie side with nine league starts to his name and 20 total appearances across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).
However, there have been reports to emerge suggesting his future may not lie at Goodison Park with the likes of Liverpool believed to be showing an interest.
Speaking to Football FanCast, insider Dean Jones suggested the centre-back could certainly be left with a decision to make when he returns in the summer:
“Look if he doesn’t see a forward path for him at Everton then it could be that an intriguing transfer decision lies ahead, but we won’t know that until the end of the season.”
Future elsewhere?
Last season, the 20-year-old was only handed a small number of opportunities in Everton’s first team with just four Premier League starts to his name.
Whereas, at PSV he has already surpassed that figure and played every minute of the last six league games (via Transfermarkt).
Having embedded himself into Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side, it would probably be accurate to presume he will return to Merseyside with the ambition of playing regular football.
And there will be major question marks as to whether that is something which will be possible with the current state of the Toffees’ defence.
It has been a dismal 2022/23 campaign to date for Everton, however, their defensive record stands surprisingly strong against some of the league’s top clubs.
With this in mind, it is difficult to imagine how the youngster could uproot the tried and tested combination of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady.
The Englishmen have provided the Toffees with a solid partnership at the back and given there are big struggles elsewhere this is surely an area which Sean Dyche will not want to tweak.
It appears the youngster could definitely provide Everton with an option for the future but – amid interest from elsewhere – it may depend on whether he is willing to wait for that chance.
