 Hello, welcome to Toffy TV. We are going to talk about Jared Branthwaite. He's getting lots and lots of interest and he's part of a lot of conversations about how well he's done and how he's going to move on to past his new in the summer. But we are going to have a little chat about how well he's done. This is, of course, his breakout season, if you like, at Everton Football Club. He was part of the recent England squads. He's got a lot of love, for some reason, because he didn't put them on the pitch. But he has had an excellent season so far on me and Pead. I'm going to have a chat. Just how good he has been. Pead, obviously, this is someone I remember you saying many moons ago that you thought he would go right at the very top when he'd been giving his debut on the car launch at Lottie at Wolves and we saw a little glimmer of him. I've wondered me played a couple of games towards the end of that season after coming in from Carl Isle. And then he's had since, he's had subsequent loans of Blackburn Rovers and he also went off to Holland as well and he's been back and forth at Everton, but we felt last season monitoring his progress that this was the year that we needed to get him in this evidence side that a PSB wanted to keep him. So how impressed have you been with him since he did get in to the Blues side that was the third game of the season, wasn't it? And he's been in Ever since? Yeah, arguably maybe our player of the season, maybe. He's been brilliant, hasn't he, and showed a level of maturity that I think possibly having seen the last year's low move playing for a big club and playing in Europe and competing for the trophy, the title, obviously falling just short but winning a cup. And obviously the manager he had as well, showing a lot of, having shown a lot of faith in him to play him. So I think he's got everything and I think he showed that. Listen, he's not the final thing and you wouldn't expect him to be, but I do believe that he is destined for the very, very top. And I've thought that, like you said, from day one because you just get a sense of people. It's not always about what you see when they're playing. You just get a sense of when someone looks like they belong. And I think sometimes we see players and there's a lot said about them and they come through and you just get that idea that they just don't fully believe. But he looks like a player and I think he always has. That believes he should be playing at the top level. Yeah, it's seen him in the under 20, the under 21s and things like running back and making goal line clear and there's nothing of like loving, defending, but he is such a silky player as well. There is obviously people have drawn similarities between him and John Stones. I think John Stones in my opinion, I remember saying it on this show many moons ago, many years ago that I always felt he'd be a better defensive material played in the centre back. He's been brilliant for City as well. Of course he has done in both roles, really. I'm playing for England. Branthwaite, I feel like he's more of a centre back, but he is so good and so calm and nothing has seemed to faze him. But there was interest in last season, it's come out recently, that he had been thinking about returning to Everton in December to go and get a different loan. And I think he said very banisterly had sat him down and had said, look, no, we believe him and he's going to get more gains on and he's hugely improved since then. But having that, I guess that shows a maturity from him to say well, I'm out here at PSV and it isn't going the way maybe I'm visiting so I want to go back to Everton and maybe look for a loan move somewhere else. But obviously PSV and Marcel Brands who of course brought into Everton managed to convince him to stay there and in the end that was the best thing wasn't it? Yeah, 100%. He didn't play that much before Christmas and yeah, there was definitely conversations between Everton and PSV about making sure that he was getting gained time. Because obviously Everton do and have rated him massively and it was seen like this season, was probably going to be the season that he came back to Everton so it was really important that that development continued. And I think even though the standard of Dutch football might be what everybody looks at, I think playing in a top division and having those stakes was really more important than maybe when he went to Blackburn and he was playing as a team that weren't going to go down but really weren't going to go into the playoffs either. So what are you really playing for, week in and week out? You're just playing where I think when he was at PSV I think he was definitely the crowd obviously straight away put pressure on a player. There's an intensity in that and I think they are a big club in their own right and I think all those things combined have developed the player and also playing in Holland as well as probably took him on with coming out from the back with the ball as well. I think the level of the player as well over there is I think he could dominate players as well which I think added to the confidence factor for him as well now. Because you take that, you bring that back with you and even though the players in the Premier League are more physical you've got that confidence that you're going to beat people in the air and you know what you're doing. So I think it was the best place for him to be and I think we've seen that this season. Before we get just going to have a look at his numbers and everything in a minute just before we get on to that this is like almost the ideal blueprint for Evan and isn't it what we've needed to do to get a young player in, spot a talent, get him in, loan him, develop and then he becomes in the first team and obviously now his values gone through the roof. It's almost like the ideal prototype of what certainly whatever and they're probably going to have to do with the progress moving forward. It isn't and there's different ways of doing that. I think we spoke recently about Nathan Patterson and maybe this is the path we should have taken with Nathan Patterson is bring him in and then have a plan for him. That doesn't mean he's going to be an Everton just sitting in the background while other things are going on at the club. We saw many years ago when James Coleman comes to the club that he went out on loan to a team that were chasing Premier League and got it in Blackpool and then he came back with all that experience. And I think this has definitely got to be the way forward as you bring players in and you don't put too much on them but straight away you have a plan for them. I think far too many times Evan have been found guilty of not having any idea what to do with a player when they come in and I think this has worked out. Of course when he came in he got his debut when it was part of Covid and maybe that helped them get opportunities because it didn't seem to be that much pressure at the time and the sub's rule has been expanded on all these things. So it's been very fortuitous but just the fact that we spotted this young lad who hadn't played a lot of games but there was just something about him that some Marcel Brands stayed to waste thought this is where we have to go. Again maybe if we didn't have a club in the way it's been running the last seven or eight years then maybe we would have got this more. And again there's an idea of bringing players in and not putting pressure on them and not thinking they're going to be first team players. And then that takes the fan base step away from it and when we've brought players in from the likes of Lasage and people like that way there's an expectation straight away of they've got to be in the first team and add them all with luck. Obviously he's going on his debut. There is that idea of what they're in now and they've done something good. We expect high things off them and the club get caught up in that. Instead of going now, you know, hit me on your curi was another one. It was like well you can't get away with him or we're all fixated with what you do when you get away with him. It's like Lasage looking on your curi, the club made money on all those players and sometimes people look at that and go well it's failure but it's to a lot of clubs that's their business model. When players in, rough diamonds, polish them up a bit, give them a couple of opportunities and then someone else will come in and take them off here and give you more money. That's not what we're looking for with Brandway but certainly that's definitely where we've gone wrong in the last few years. Expecting everybody to come in and be in the first team and that's just not the way it is. And that's educating your fan base as well and saying no no this is, we've got a plan for these players. Absolutely. Let's have a look at his numbers so far this season in the Premier League this year. He's played 25 games, he's got two goals. He's averaging 5.8 full recoveries per game. His clearances are at 4.2 per game and the duals won 5.3 days, his heat map there as we can see. And if we go on to the next one that we've got, the next graphic we've got here, the sofa score rating. You can download the sofa score app free and get all of this information. The link is in the description. His sofa score rating is 7.04 for the season. His minutes played 2,160 for two goals as we've said. He's been part of an evident defence that has kept 7 clean sheets. Zero errors leading through a goal which I think is huge for him. He's averaging two tackles paying 19 and 1.7 per game there with that. Very impressive numbers for someone who's a breakout season. I think I do like the way he's not convinced whether he's right-footed or left-footed because he's just chucking, he's comfortable on either. He's slotted in alongside James Tarkovski and I think Tarkovski should take some credit as well for the way he's managed them and helped them progress this season. We've seen in recent games of Brighton when Brand Point made a brilliant tackle and Tarkovski's over and the bump and chest and all that kind of stuff. They've developed a really good partnership and Everton have had one of the best offences around really. I think the fourth, fifth best or whatever it was still recently. So they've formed a good partnership of them. Yeah, that's really important having that leadership next year and who knows if you've been putting next to someone who didn't have those qualities then things might be slightly different. But he's been able to look to his right and see someone who will take a lot of responsibility in the leadership role. It's a good unit and he's been able to fit into that and if you can get to that level and just keep that level then I think that's what he's done and that's what's been hugely impressive. I said if you go into a defence that may be a little bit more shaky and your confidence drops because of that and we've seen that in the past. I think Mason Hallgate has suffered from that, from not playing with someone next to him. I think Mason Hallgate always seemed to be the best when he was next to Ashley Williams and they formed a nice little partnership and probably when Ashley Williams was at his best for Everton and having someone who was a rough and ready defender. And knowing that you just have to follow his cues is hugely important. Without digging them out, Mason Hallgate played alongside Michael Keane and he both looked awful. I think that's where that's really important when partnerships are formed. Definitely. I mean if we're talking about highly rated defenders, I mean Brandt White attracted a lot of attention. Now the talk of Manchester City wanting them, Manchester United, he's been like Mir Arsenal, it rails on the grid, they're apparently monitoring them. That'd be the one. Obviously Carlo Ancelotti has given his debut, hasn't he? I've seen him a close quarter and will have watched the development from him. If we look at the best, the top five rated under 23 defenders this season, we can see that Jampoll van Hecht at Brighton there. We've got Gardial, he's got Gardial who cost City nearly enough 100 million. Brandt White is sitting in third there above Gustav O' Keiser, right back. But William Salabir, who I think has been brilliant for Arsenal. I know it's only Sophie Scoran and I know it's all algorithm stuff and things like that. But to be rated third in the defence of under 23 defenders, again it's further evidence just how well he has done this season. Is there any surprise to you that he is being linked with those kind of clubs? No, because English talent obviously can play. It's interesting just because physically he's got so much about him, he's tall, he's decent in the air, he doesn't get caught for pace too often and only really the moment with Harland is the one where you go. Yeah, he's been caught there and it's sort of to the outside world, they might have looked at it and thought, oh he's not as good as what people say but in that game he was excellent. He's just one of those moments. And he plays some good balls out and but also when he gets the ball he never feels pressurised to just whack it down the pitch. He'll always look for the intelligent pass and never gets caught on the graphic then it's said about no goals, no errors leading to goals. And again that shows you that he's very comfortable when he's got the ball machine against Manchester City having the ball in his own box and playing out with it and I think for a player of his experience and his age you wouldn't see that. A lot of people would just be like, just get rid of it, just go along with it and you're obviously giving up possession straight away but he always tries to keep possession and I think that's for a big club, sorry not a big club, for a club that is in a better position than we are right now. They'd look at that and think that's exactly what we want from our defenders and when you read off a list like that I mean like why wouldn't Real Madrid be interested in him? Like he's a young lad, the manager knows him, give him his debut in the Premier League and why wouldn't you be looking at that and think this is a talent that could if we allow him to go to somewhere like Manchester City. He could be there for the rest of his career and we'll never get an opportunity like this again. I'm not saying, Drew Bellingham is obviously there now and obviously he went to Dortmund, it's a slightly different situation but if you are looking at someone that as an Evertonian I genuinely, I'm not blown smoke up anyone's backside here. We've watched a lot of plays and we've lost a lot of plays and I genuinely look at this lad and I just think this lad is going all the way to the top. He's got every attribute and sadly that won't be with us so why would I have any dog in the fight here? I would love to see him go to somewhere like Real Madrid. I think it would be amazing to see a young lad come from Carl Isle go to Everton in the Premier League and then make that step up. The chances are probably not huge but it would be absolutely fantastic if that's where his destination was, if he left Evan because I think a lot of Evertonians would feel a lot better about it but he isn't going to West Ham, he isn't going to Villa. He's not going to Tottenham. This lad is going to have the pick of his clubs and it might actually be somewhere like Manchester United because they have to make a huge statement by that will come in for him and give us silly money and it should be silly money because he is, I think, for an English centre back. I think he's a once in a generation talent. That's how highly I rate him. So, let the bids begin. It's 95 million. We'll start there. He is unique. He's left-sided six or five centre back who's decent in the air, good train of pace, so comfortable with both feet and what would fit into a Manchester City or what would he be able to go into? Would he be able to go into Real Madrid and play with the unbelievable team that they've got? Probably, yeah. And there's a lot of building, a hell of a team and a hell of a young team as well. I could dominate forever, so, well, forever. I mean, you know, forever as in, like five years. Do you know who he reminds me of? He reminds me of Van Dijk when he was at like Celtic. Van Dijk's better in the air but definitely, yeah. But when he was at Celtic. Honestly, he reminds me of a player that you could watch. People would look at him and go, he's something about him. He does, he reminds me of, it doesn't remind me of him now, obviously. One of his not the best centre back in the world. But when he was at Celtic and he was just, people would just, you could just tell that if he kept that trajectory, he had so much of, and it was different because he was obviously playing in Celtic, so it's not everyone sort of could judge. You're sure it's Southampton, did me when he went there, he went up another level, didn't he, and me? But he does remind me of that, he's got that physical, but he also, it's not, doesn't get, Van Dijk very rarely gets caught out by pace, and it's not because he's lightning fast, it's because his positional sense is so good. And he reminds me of when he was at that stage of his career, so. Finally, do you think that he will go to the European Championship for England? I don't think he will, no. I don't think he will. I think not getting any game time at that stage will be the thing, is that there's only two more friendlies and they're going to be the friendlies for the squad, and I just don't think he'll make it. I think what you saw in the friendlies was the players who've got a chance, got a game, and I just think that, I think they've made them out. Yeah, well no, also the manager's got favourites, and Dade shouldn't be the favourites. Again, it's that thing of like, he might have gone there, and it's playing centre-back, it's not easy to impress a centre-back when you're just doing training. The manager, yeah, she's put a couple in there, but he knows what he wants a centre-back. If he wants 32-year-old playing for Brighton as you back up, then that's up to you, isn't it? You've set your stall out, that's what you want. I'd have something different, but I don't think he will, no. Interesting. Do you think he will? I think he's got a chance. I think what he'll do is, I think he'll be named, you know the way he's named, like a 30-man squad, and then he'll whittle it down. I think he might just, at the next 10 games, I think Evan has got 10 to play, and I think if he does what he's done so far this season, I think he's got an outside chance because he becomes one of those ones that you're having the squad, but he's going to almost take the man lower from a Lewis Dunk. But you're right, I mean it wouldn't surprise me if he isn't, but I think, just because I don't think England have got another centre-back, I like him. But then, is he going to play though? You might be right, maybe not. Maybe it's for after this summer. We'll have to wait and see, obviously. Let us know what you think in the comments section below. How impressed have you been by Jared Brantwight, and should he and could he be on the plane through Germany for the Euros this summer? And if Evan were to sell a man, I hope he don't hope he stays for at least another season. How much will be your start with, or how much should Evan take Evan to consider selling him? Let's hope it doesn't happen because he stays for another year, but he's been very, very impressed if he looks like he's going to be a top, top player. Let us know in the comments section below, like I said, you can download the show for Scott Rock and get all of that detail at your fingertips. It's free. Why wouldn't you? Thanks for watching. See you later.