It is pretty safe to say that the season has not turned out as planned for Jarrad Branthwaite.
The 23-year-old headed into the campaign having signed a bumper new deal, making him one of Everton’s top earners, and with aspirations of forcing his way into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Competition is fierce, but a fit and firing Branthwaite has always been an enticing prospect; a relatively unique blend of pace, physicality and left-sided ball playing ability.
It is that skill set that led to significant interest from Champions League clubs including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and even Everton’s city rivals Liverpool across three successive windows, between summers 2024 and 2025, plus a valuation of around £75million ($101m). The idea last summer, when he signed his new deal, was that Everton would need to give him a salary comparable to what he would earn at one of those clubs in order to keep him out of their clutches.
Branthwaite was the one manager David Moyes wanted to build around, with he and other club figures seeing him as the most important pillar in their new project under owners The Friedkin Group.
Yet it took until the 1-1 draw against Leeds United in late January for the Carlisle United academy product to make his first appearance of the season. A hamstring injury cut short his 2024-25 campaign and he missed the summer tour of the United States having picked up what the club described as a “minor niggle” in the pre-season game against Blackburn Rovers.
In October, he underwent hamstring surgery after experiencing a “complication” in his recovery. The news was a bitter blow for Everton and Branthwaite, with the club’s medical team having taken a cautious approach to his rehabilitation.
“Very disappointing,” was Branthwaite’s verdict on his season so far when he spoke to reporters after Monday’s 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United. “To miss all that time, it’s had a huge impact on the momentum I had. It’s not nice being out. It’s always difficult coming back after such a long time.
A disappointed Branthwaite playing against Manchester United on Monday (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“But hopefully I can have those fresh legs, whereas players who are playing 30-odd games are maybe tiring. I’m just happy to be back out there.”
Branthwaite has made five appearances since his return, with two of his three starts coming in a makeshift left-back role.
It has been a curious sight seeing one of the country’s top central-defensive prospects playing at full-back but Moyes values his extra height in a physical Premier League dominated by set pieces and believes he has the quality on the ball to make it work. The patchy performances of usual left-back Vitalii Mykolenko and Moyes’ faith in Michael Keane have also influenced the decision-making process.
Branthwaite gave a stock answer when discussing his new role with reporters on Monday.
“The manager asked me to play there again, and I’m happy to be on the pitch, playing there,” he said. “Obviously, I’d like to be at centre-back, but Keano (Keane) and Tarky (James Tarkowski) have done well. It’s the manager’s decision and I’m happy to be playing wherever he plays me.”
In the medium and long term, though, he sees his positional future in the centre. It is there that he is at his best and can have most influence. The stint at left-back may be temporary, and an attempt to cover up squad deficiencies, but the school of thought at Everton heading into the campaign was that last season’s Branthwaite and Tarkowski partnership was their best way forward.
A strong case could be made that it still is. Or, at the very least, that Branthwaite needs to return to his favoured position.
The issue of balance has come to the forefront in recent weeks, as Everton’s results have started to plateau. Their flaws have been most prominent at home, particularly when the onus is on them to push and dictate.
The sense internally has been that a lot of those struggles are down to personnel. But it still feels as though there are discussions to be had around what happens in a number of key areas, including full-back, central defence and central midfield.
Benjamin Sesko’s winner for Manchester United on Monday highlighted some of those weaknesses. Coming on the counter-attack, during a period in which Everton were pushing for an opener of their own, it highlighted the difference in athleticism between United’s pacy attackers and Everton’s slower central defenders.
Matheus Cunha’s raking ball to set Bryan Mbeumo free was outstanding in the context of the game, but there was a temptation to wonder whether Branthwaite’s extra speed would have snuffed out the threat before Mbeumo was able to feed Sesko.
The ensuing foot race between the Sesko — fresh from arriving as a 58th-minute substitute – and Tarkowski was never one the latter was likely to win. Everton’s defensive structure had also left them exposed to a quick counter.
Branthwaite has been a serviceable left-back, but he is not known for his creativity, something this Everton side sorely lacks.
It is at centre-back where he really excels and possesses the potential to play at the highest level.
The graphic below shows his data from last season, compared to his positional peers in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues. Everton’s direct style, particularly under Sean Dyche, is worth considering when you analyse these numbers.
But certain traits stand out. He ranked in the 90th percentile for centre-backs across Europe’s big five leagues for carry progression, while he also scored highly for pass progression and launched passes. In other words, he is able to progress the ball in a number of ways, through carrying and long and short passing.
Here are his most common progressive passes since the start of last season. Again, note his ability to play through the lines into midfield, something Everton have lacked at times this season. Since the start of 2024-25, he ranks third for touches per game and second for forward passes in the Everton squad.
Branthwaite marries that technical ability with speed and physicality. At 6ft 5in (196cm), he is strong in the air and on the ground (see his tackle success store in the first graphic). That he does all of this from the left side, as a genuine left-footed option bringing balance, is also significant.
For all those reasons, there has been bemusement at Everton in the past over his relative lack of England recognition. Injuries over the past year may have left him unavailable for selection, but there were times last season when his claims were ignored and others like Newcastle United’s Dan Burn and Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah (now at Bayer Leverkusen) were selected. It also took a while for Branthwaite to establish himself as first choice for England Under-21s, with the likes of Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis initially preferred.
Everton were left with the impression last season that Branthwaite’s lack of big-game and cup experience had counted against him when Tuchel was weighing up his options.
Fit again, though, his aim is to impress for Everton and put himself back on Tuchel’s radar.
“I haven’t (spoken to Tuchel). I’ve been out for so long and haven’t played much football, so it’s down to me, and my performances, to give myself the best possible chance to be in and around it,” Branthwaite said.
“It’s always good to be able to play multiple positions so hopefully that can have a positive impact on my chances.
“Hopefully I’m past that (the injuries) now, and I can get a good momentum going, stay injury-free, play to the end of the season and push for the World Cup squad.
“That was my aim at the start of the season. It’s going to be difficult. The only thing I can do is go out there and put on good performances every game, and give myself the best possible chance.”
A return to central defence would no doubt aid his cause, and give Everton a fighting chance of maintaining their push for Europe.
(Additional reporting by Thom Harris)