The Toffees have truly hit the jackpot with the shrewd acquisition of a young star.
Everton, for all their financial blunders in recent memory, boast a keen history of plucking unknown youth talent and turning them into stars.
So often famed for their academy production, their recruitment throughout the lower leagues has proven stellar across the years too, with John Stones an outstanding example of such success.
Plucked from Barnsley in 2013, it took just three years before Manchester City came calling, unloading £47.5m to pry him from Merseyside and make him Pep Guardiola’s star centre-back.
Given how his career has only gone from strength to strength, it must be remembered that it was the Toffees who first offered him that platform to thrive.
Everton’s Record Sales
Fee Paid
Fee Received
Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
£28m
£72.4m
Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)
£35m
£49.6m
John Stones (Manchester City)
£3m
£47.5m
Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
Academy
£38.9m
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Academy
£31.6m
All fees via Transfermarkt & BBC Sport
Now more than ever has this kind of talent identification been imperative for the Goodison Park outfit, who are being forced to watch their expenditure in fear of how FFP might sanction them. Such frustration fed into the summer transfer window, where they actually operated with a net profit despite making five signings.
However, there is a different star who has already begun staking his first team claim, who could be their next great success story to have begun their career in the lower leagues.
Who is actually playing well for Everton?
Although they are yet to claim their first Premier League win of the season, there has been a host of solid displays from Sean Dyche’s men that have not claimed the merited result. Clashes with Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers spring to mind, where they recorded 2.73 and 1.34 expected goals respectively, but failed to score in 1-0 losses.
As such, Sofascore recognises that there have been some fine performers within the club despite what the league table shows.
One such name is Jarrad Branthwaite, who finally seems set to earn a run in the starting side after an impressive loan tenure last year in the Netherlands.
Seeking to add some technical quality to his already impressive physique, his first few games back in England offer proof that the loan has earned success, with the 21-year-old maintaining a 7.10 average Sofascore rating.
This is a figure largely buoyed by his defensive excellence, although his 85% pass accuracy does mark an admirable return. Not to mention he has paired it with two interceptions, two tackles, three clearances and 8.5 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.
In fact, his rating makes him the club’s third-best performer thus far, starring as the joint-best for clearances made per game too. Already the youngster has announced himself as an integral figure within Dyche’s setup.
The former Burnley boss has been keen to praise the 6 foot 5 goliath, claiming before even handing him a start: “Jarrad has done well in pre-season but he missed a couple of weeks so he is still getting fit and sharp but we like what we have seen so far and we’re just getting used to him.”
The hope will be that he can continue this upward trajectory to emulate Stones’ success, instead sticking around to lead Everton into a brighter future.
How much was Jarrad Branthwaite worth at Carlisle United?
As a relative unknown at the time of his move to Merseyside, he was unsurprisingly lowly rated.
Despite that, Football Transfers still handed the League Two defender a €1.1m (£940k) expected transfer valuation just before transferring, which has since skyrocketed.
Such success had been predicted way before his emergence, with his former manager and the man who gave him his debut at Carlisle United Steven Pressley, offering the following praise: “He had so many quality attributes to become a top player. On the back of that one game, I phoned the Director of Football to get him tied up on a longer-term contract, which we did within two or three days.
“From that moment on, he trained with the first team every day. I told people he was a future England international. Not once from when I gave him his debut did I ever consider leaving him out again, because I felt his performances had been so strong.
“The truth is, I think he has got everything. He can pass the ball almost equally as good with both feet. He’s a terrific footballer. And If he continues to develop, then, without doubt, he can be an England player.”
How much did Everton sign Jarrad Branthwaite for?
Despite that aforementioned valuation, given how highly rated he was for the Cumbrians, this was not an easy deal to make for Carlo Ancelotti.
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite
Although, with the financial might they commanded at the time, the Blues came to an agreement for his services, unloading a nominal £1m to bring him in after seeing a £500k bid rejected earlier in that 2020 January window.
As was the case with Stones, this has since proven to be a shrewd piece of business, and what they are set to make will surely blow that initial figure out of the water. Especially if clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United continue sniffing around.
What is Jarrad Branthwaite’s market value now?
Evertonians will be keen to know just how much their prized young asset is worth given the fiscal mire they find themselves in, scrambling for pennies to put together a bid for anyone who might consider joining their relegation scrap.
Well, considering that PSV Eindhoven saw a £15m bid rejected, that should offer a fine starting point.
CIES Football Observatory whilst seeking to offer a more realistic figure, actually came to a similar conclusion with their value tool, suggesting the England U21 international is worth just €20m (£17m).
Although that marks an astronomical increase from the £1m they first paid, 1600% to be exact, it is still likely a far cry from what Dyche would possibly accept given his growing importance, natural ability, favourable nationality and incredible youth. As such it could even be argued that his true valuation sits much higher than this fee, although only his 52-year-old boss will know what that is.
Why is Jarrad Branthwaite worth that much?
Although his start to the season helps explain why his value has seen such a sharp increase, it is in fact that loan move to the Eredivisie that deserves the bulk of the praise, handing Branthwaite his first show of faith within senior football.
He would feature 27 times in the Dutch top flight last year, with his 6.97 average rating a fine return for someone so young. It is a testament to his quality that they were so keen to tie him down permanently, with his 87% pass accuracy and 3.4 clearances per game proving vital, via Sofascore.
The four main facets that uphold his valuation were mentioned just earlier, and should he continue to prove himself as a capable asset at the Premier League level, only he knows how high he could go.
