Man Utd will have to win Europa League to tempt Branthwaite

Stay with us a bit longer and you will get a better club to go to in time.

Yeah... dream on. Still if they're that set on him anything north of £90M would suffice. And they'd probably ask for government funding!

I don't like hearing it when supporters belittle us suggesting Everton is not a big club. We are.

Manchester United is a massive club on a global scale. In both cases and on different scales, we shouldn't mix up recent performances and success on the pitch with the size and stature of a club in my opinion.

One thing I feel confident in, is that the new owners will push to boat out to keep the likes of Branthwaite. If we have ambition, we have to retain Jarrad and others and build around them.

If the player and his agent push it, then I am equally confident we will get top dollar. Where those dollars come from is questionable given their £1BN debt and hundreds of millions in unpaid transfers. If, and right now, it's an if, he decides he wants to go, then there will be more than a sniff of interest from other well-placed suitors.

We are well into rumour season now, so I'm taking it all with a pinch of salt until something happens or is announced, which won't be before the end of the season and beyond.

However, should Man Utd come in seriously, we have to demand an absolute top-dollar record fee. None of this so much down and so much a season and based on a Rooney-like contract. So much if we win the league, so much for a Cup etc etc.

If they want him, then top dollar — in cash!!!! That'll sort that out.

Hopefully it is just a temporary loss of form — maybe a goal or two will up his markings… like they have done with O'Brien.

If they do offer him a new contract, will it be good enough to keep him here for at least 1 or 2 years longer?

If the Man Scum really are serious in intent, but still think they can get him for anything less than £90M, and are not sent packing, then I think we will have our answer.

It will also be interesting to see what sort of spin the new regime put on it if he does leave. It would be nice if they are honest with us, as the shysters who would previously make up all sorts of nonsense to diss the leaving player are hopefully now all gone.

I've done articles on this in the past so won't labour it but you can attribute a large part of the recent success of clubs like Leverkusen and our horrible neighbours to selling very well.

Look what happens to young players that go to Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs etc — they disappear into oblivion.

Why on earth would he want to join Man Utd? They are in a terrible financial mess both on the pitch and off it.

I think Jarrad will give Everton another year as we move into the new stadium, with our future progression he may well decide to commit long-term and enjoy the ride.

I doubt TFG would be holding out for £90m for Branthwaite - and I doubt anyone would pay that either at the moment.

The biggest fees for any players this season have all been for attackers €77m (Duran), €75m (Alvarez and Marmoush) and €70m (Kvaratskhelia).

The biggest CB signing was Yoro €62m followed by Kilman for €47m and then Deligt for €45m.

However, whether it's a good deal to sell at, say, €70m or €90m or whatever pretty much comes down to who you have lined up in replacement.

If we are stupid enough to do what West Ham did and waste €47m on crap like Kilman, then it's a bad idea to sell whatever the price.

However, if selling for £65m enabled you to secure the signings of, say, Doyle (City), Couto (City) and Ferguson (Brighton) - then you have probably improved your First XI by a decent margin overall - and with players who could form the backbone of the side for the next 5 to 10 years. That might be a good idea.

Obviously I am cherry picking, but had we sold Branthwaite for, say, £70m last summer - we could have had a First XI of:

DCL

Ndiaye

Sarr (€15m)

Hutchison (€23.5)

Mangala

Garner

Mykolenko

Araujo (€10m)

Huijsen (€15.2m)

Tarkowski

Pickford

It doesn't need to be a distaster to sell.

I'd rather keep the player, but if it was to happen, and it's still inevitable speculation and rumour, then as long as the proceeds are used to improve the squad then it's good business.

Early days, but I have more optimism in this regime than the previous one to do that.

They'd have been better off re-signing Michael Keane for this season and given us £10M! Yorro is not Premier League standard.

Killman £47M 🥴🥴hope Moyes wasn't involved.

Yoro is still only 19. He's been bought for his huge potential not immediate impact. He could yet be a superb signing. He's a very classy technical defender.

Henry didn't look much at Arsenal in his first season.

Those two aren't actually money's worth, are they? Two right donkeys.

Tarkowski can be ‘streaky’ but never seems to attract the same dismissive attitude.

Hope the lad or his family never read TW.

I know money to spend will have to be eked out for a while, but selling top level players who may prefer to stay seems a big gamble to me. Just the other day we had a thread about how difficult it has been to actually sign top class talent; I believe that is easier if the potential recruits can see real quality happy to stay that they are going to be added to.

I certainly wouldn’t swap Jarrad for Yoro. I don’t see Yoro will ever be a ‘dominant’ central defender but Jarrad is getting there.

Tarkowski has had poor games this season but he has had many good games as well as being an outstanding Captain rallying and talking the defence through the game including Jarred and having to listen to the inane ranting of Pickford in goal and let’s be honest here nobody is talking about Tarkowski as a £80-90M player but is well value for the wages he earns and I don’t think he has missed one minute on the pitch since he signed even if he has had to carry an obvious injury at times.

If we lose Tarkowski, we lose his leadership on the pitch and he is mostly a very good defender. Not a world beater, much in the same mould as Jagielka, who didn't have that about him.

Branthwaite has had a few wobbles of late, but that's to be expected when a young player bursts onto the scene. They will have a dip, but likewise, he's impressed for the majority of the season and at 22, very young for a centre back. He's not the finished article yet, but an exciting prospect that I hope we keep.

I wonder whether his 'game has dropped' if indeed it has, due to the more attacking style Moyes has adopted, leaving the defence with more to do, especially when the opposition break quickly and when most of our players are in their half of the field.

He is quick, but not as fast when he is forced to run back looking over his shoulder - and open to being turned. I'd still like to keep hold for another couple of years.

Yes, that could have a bearing on his game.

I'm always fearful when the opposition break quickly under both Dyches' and Moyes's ways of playing.

To be honest, to me, it is the simple act of lack of concentration that is leaving Jarrad open to criticism — just watch him, he looks switched off at many times during the game.

If that is one of his problems surely Moyes as an ex centre back will be correcting him or Baines will be on to it.

It is also likely that I'm seeing a problem that isn't there but I never criticise just for the sake of having a moan.

But I think the financial state of Everton will dictate what happens there and maybe Jarrad's agent will also be down his ear!

That said, they're rare, and his general reading is very good. He has good pace, but he needs to be careful throwing himself into challenges as he has a build that could pick up bad injuries if he's launching for the ball. Stay on your feet lad.

I read he's the most complete player to play the ball with both feet in the Premier League. I'd like to keep him, and have an adventurous left back he can feed to start the attacks next to him. He's good on the ball, and that is vital position as seen across the park.

I don't know whether it's his concentration. I sometimes think he takes the game too easily. He knows he has the ability but is rather casual in his approach, as if it's second nature and he expects the right result without the full application.

I am told that football is an easy game – but it does require a certain level of application; otherwise, there is a lot of mopping up to be done and mistakes tend to crop up.

Well, I don't think we are far apart in how we rate Jarrad. I'd say concentration is part of applying himself fully to 90 minutes of each game plus whatever VAR adds on.

Now there is always the possibility that the club decide to sell him and reinvest the money; I think that would be something we have done before to our detriment. Clubs selling their best players sends out the wrong message to both prospective signings and our fans.

We have been told we had to sell Rooney because of the financial position of the club, and lately we have had to do the same with Richarlison and Gordon. But now, with new owners and us being in a better financial position, we should not be selling our best players.

Only weeks ago, it was reported Branthwaite would be happy to sign a contract extension. So now our Premier League status is virtually certain, then sign him up for 5 or 6 years! He will, if he stays, captain us and England.

I am sure, when Moyes feels it right at some time next season to move O'Brien to centre-back, we will have a young pairing for years to come. So start building a side to play in our magnificent new stadium – and do not sell our best players.