Everton search for Jarrad Branthwaite replacement as Adam Webster claim is made
Jarrad Branthwaite has struggled for fitness so far this season at Everton.
The centre-back is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Toffees in the 2025/26 campaign, after Branthwaite picked up an injury with Everton in pre-season.
As a result, Michael Keane has come into the lineup and shone at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and has arguably been the Merseyside club’s best defender so far.
Now, with Branthwaite still out on the sidelines, there have been questions about what David Moyes’ plan is if this happens again in the future.
This article includes exclusive comment from former Everton scout Bryan King.
Bryan King: Everton likely looking for centre-back options
Branthwaite’s injury problems at the start of the season are now a common occurrence, with this also happening last season.
Moyes’ plan for this campaign was clearly to have James Tarkowski and Branthwaite as the pairing, but he has not been able to field this yet.
Everton were linked to Adam Webster in the transfer window, but favoured keeping Keane over signing the Brighton centre-half.
- Everton's backline could be a long-term problem
- Keane and Tarkowski are ageing and will both turn 33 years old this summer
- On top of this, Branthwaite has struggled with injuries
However, Bryan King has now exclusively told Goodison News that the Toffees are likely already identifying potential centre-backs to ensure the backline is sufficiently covered.
“I’m sure that they will be looking,” King said. “Injuries are always a worry, especially when they happen to young players. The main job for Everton at the moment is to get Branthwaite fit.
“You’re always looking at other options, because you never know whether somebody is going to recover to 100 per cent.
“A club like Everton, they have to make sure that they’ve got cover lined up if needed. It’s going to take more money to sign Webster now than it would have in the summer, so they’ve got the right in their decision.
“But, they’ll be looking all the time at players who they can bring in within their budget.”
Everton made the wrong decision not signing Adam Webster
While Keane has been fantastic for Everton, the Toffees still should have signed Webster.
The Brighton defender is still only 30 years old, and is likely to be good enough for the Premier League for another four years.
According to Sofascore on 26 September, Webster was great for the Seagulls last season, with his defensive work being the obvious highlight.
With Branthwaite clearly unable to stay fit, and Tarkowski and Keane ageing, Webster would have been a great option until a long-term replacement is found.
Hopefully, Everton’s scouts will soon identify a target who can remain in Moyes’ backline for years to come.
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