Jarrad Branthwaite return to Everton could solve Frank Lampard transfer worry as contract clause revealed
With the option now open for Everton to recall Jarrad Branthwaite, Frank Lampard will be far less worried about his January transfer window plans.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Branthwaite will have a say in whether he returns to Everton in January after failing to play enough minutes during his PSV loan.
The 20-year-old centre-back joined the Dutch club on loan to pick up some valuable experience and minutes, but Everton now have the option to recall him in January.
With Branthwaite clearly not picking up the minutes he thought he would at PSV, there’s a good possibility that he’ll return to Goodison Park, and it could be a huge boost for Lampard’s squad.
As it stands, Everton are stacked in the centre-back department, with James Tarkowski and Conor Coady at the top of Lampard’s pecking order, while Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey sit just behind.
On top of that, Yerry Mina is still contracted to the Toffees, although it seems the Colombian is on his way out of the club imminently with Roma interested in his signature. [Liverpool Echo]
Mina’s departure could open up a space for Branthwaite in the squad, but at the same time, four centre-backs is still plenty for Lampard to work with.
However, Everton are yet to confirm whether Coady will be staying at the club past this season after he joined on an initial one-season loan from Wolves.
Tying down Coady will be Lampard’s top priority, and he’ll no doubt be nervous about losing both him and Mina in the space of a few months.
If Everton were to miss out on Coady and offload Mina, Lampard would likely be forced to go into the transfer market and buy a new defender, but Branthwaite’s return means it won’t come to that.
Branthwaite likely won’t be Lampard’s first-choice defender at Everton, but he’s a great option to have in the squad – even if he goes out on loan again next season.