Pat Nevin not worried about Branthwaite leaving Everton for cheap

Four games. Four losses. Zero points.

The 2024-25 Premier League season has started in the worst possible manner for Everton as Sean Dyche and his men face an uphill battle to be in the safe zone. It’s still early days but Everton’s penchant to concede from healthy winning positions is not an encouraging sign.

A major reason for Everton’s defensive frailties is the absence of star centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite who underwent a groin surgery and is still recovering from that. Branthwaite is a target for major clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool and there’s a fear that were Everton were to get relegated, the Englishman would leave on a cut-price deal.

Ex-Everton winger Pat Nevin is of the view that even if the Toffees are unable to stay in the top flight, they will be able to demand a sizeable fee for Branthwaite because of the player’s abilities and the profile of clubs interested in him.

I don’t see Everton losing Branthwaite on a cut-price deal

Nevin believes that if Branthwaite were to leave Everton, his fee would not be a problem. The Scot acknowledges that relegated sides have had to let go of players for cut-price deals, like Leicester did, but can see Everton sparking a bidding war for Branthwaite.

“I don’t think losing Jarrad Branthwaite for a lesser fee will be a problem for Everton. With many players it is, because clubs go down like Leicester did and you have to sell a number of players. If you’ve got a top quality player and he is of a level that many clubs around Europe, nearly all clubs around Europe would want to buy, you’ve then got a bidding war which will drive up the price.” 

Nevin adds that while Man Utd are regularly linked to Branthwaite, he would love to see his former side Chelsea try and get him – something he feels they should have done instead of signing Pedro Neto or Jadon Sancho this past summer.

“Everyone talks about Manchester United being interested but if I was Chelsea I would have chased Jarrad Branthwaite rather than Neto or Sancho. Do without the creativity to allow us to take care of the centre-back position for a decade.”

Branthwaite is a Barcelona level football player

Nevin is a big admirer of Branthwaite, saying that there’s very few centre-backs who are as good as him at such a young age. Centre-backs become better as they grow older and Nevin feels that the Everton defender is progressing at an alarmingly quick rate.

“I rate him that highly. Of players his age, in that position there’s been very few I’ve seen that good. Remember centre-backs take a long time to cook. They’re not normally cooked until they’re 24, 25, 26. He’s ready, at the top level and looking the best player.”

The former Scotland international also sees Branthwaite turning around Everton’s fortunes when he returns as he believes he’ll help the Toffees extend their stay in the Premier League. Nevin adds that he also won’t be surprised if not just Premier League sides but the biggest clubs in Europe come sniffing in for Branthwaite, mentioning that he’s good enough to play for FC Barcelona.

“Don’t worry Everton fans. If he stays which I hope he does for the rest of the season at least then great. He’ll help Everton stay up which I’m confident they will.” 

“But if he goes, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the biggest clubs in Europe are in there. He can play for Barcelona. If they came in, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. He’s fabulous on the ball, he’s growing quickly with confidence. He’s so far ahead of players that age that I would take him over every other centre-half his age in the world. He’s that good or at least he can become that good.”

Safer Gambling

At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.