Eddie Howe desperate for top Newcastle target Jarrad Branthwaite before expected transfer rush, Everton star ‘up for’ move
Jarrad Branthwaite is at the “top of the list” for Eddie Howe who wants the Everton defender in January before a transfer battle develops in the summer, according to Steve Kay.
The Football Transfers journalist followed up his story on Newcastle’s interest in the centre-back on 13 November to tell NUFC Blog the same day that the St. James’ Park boss is worried that “a flurry of top clubs” will be after the 21-year-old at the end of the season and is pushing to get a deal done before then.
Branthwaite is reportedly “up for the move” as his family in Carlisle is close to Newcastle, with Howe looking to bring him in as the long-term replacement for Fabian Schar.
Kay said: “I’ve been told Eddie Howe is looking for a long-term replacement for Fabian Schar, who is coming up to 32 soon, and Jarrad Branthwaite is the guy at the top of his list.
“Since I’ve been told that news, I’ve been speaking to a few other people and no one is surprised one bit. He fits all the criteria of an Eddie Howe signing.
“If you go back to other windows, he usually goes for English players and likes to build an English core. Last summer he looked at James Maddison, Kalvin Phillips, Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount, with Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Anthony Gordon signed in previous windows.
“Branthwaite just fits and I’m told he’d be up for the move. He’s from Carlisle where a lot of his family are still based, which is just an hour from Newcastle.
“He’s up for the move and Howe would like it to happen in January, as he believes a flurry of top clubs will be looking to sign him next summer. January is a hard time to get players, but he’s the one they want and ticks so many boxes for the club.
“Howe also feels he’d compliment Newcastle’s current options. He’d add pace to his back line and would also learn from experienced players like Trippier, Schar and Burn.”
Inevitable
He may have looked surprisingly slack in the first half of the 3-2 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday (11 November) but Branthwaite’s overall form this season has been strong.
His emergence following a campaign on loan at PSV Eindhoven is a big part of the improvement under Sean Dyche this term, having replaced Michael Keane in the starting XI.
So, given his age, his ability, and the fact that he is a homegrown player, it would be more of a surprise if the mooted interest from the likes of Manchester United in the summer hadn’t spread by now.
It goes without saying that Dyche won’t want to lose a player who could be a foundation for his Everton side for years to come, but he will know what it is like at Goodison Park.
Star men have been sold for big money multiple times in the past few years, including Anthony Gordon to Howe’s Magpies last season for £45million [Sky Sports, 29 January].
The club managed to avoid the same fate on the likes of Amadou Onana, Jordan Pickford or Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer, but whether they might be forced to make a sacrifice midseason will depend in large part on the outcome of the independent commission hearing over the alleged profit and sustainability breach, and the status of the proposed takeover.
On form alone the threat of relegation is greatly reduced this season, and Paul Merson has already declared Everton safe, but a hefty points deduction might change that.
In other Everton news, a key figure will be absent from the Toffee’s next game after getting himself banned.