Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite could ruin his career under Jose Mourinho if £4.2m deal gets done
Serie A giants AS Roma are reportedly looking to sign Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite in the January transfer window, and it would be a bad move for the youngster.
According to a report from Forza Roma, they are looking to bolster their defensive options in January, with Rick Karsdorp all set to leave the club.
It has been claimed in Italy that Branthwaite is just what Jose Mourinho needs, and a fee of around £4.2million will get the deal done for him in January.
Branthwaite, 20, is currently on loan at PSV Eindhoven, but it is unclear whether he will continue at the Dutch club beyond January.
He has made only four starts for PSV and The Daily Mail reported (8 December, page 73) that PSV are set to terminate the youngster’s loan deal.
However, AD Sportwereld journalist Rik Elfrink reported [8 December] that PSV are actually in talks over extending the player’s stay, and they are encouraged by the player’s desire to continue with them.
But Roma feel they have a chance here. He is available for a decent fee which is within their budget, and it could come down to the player’s decision in the end.
In such a scenario, he should reject a move to Roma, as Mourinho could completely destroy his career.
Mourinho is a great manager who has won league titles in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and England and won two Champions League titles in his career.
At Roma, he is building a good team, although they are not in a position to challenge for the title at the moment.
But Branthwaite should be really worried about Mourinho’s track record with young players. He is a manager who has done wonders with established stars, but he has got a dreadful record in terms of developing young talents.
At Chelsea, he couldn’t develop young players like Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, and there is very little evidence that suggests that he could be the right man to get the best out of Branthwaite.
The Portuguese boss has handed debuts to a lot of young talents like Scott McTominay and Axel Tuanzebe, but he doesn’t have the track record of actually grooming talents like what Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp has done in their careers.
Branthwaite is a fantastic talent and it would be really harsh if he is not given proper chances at Goodison Park after he returns from the loan spell.