David Moyes has made his intentions clear about Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite, emphasising that the club doesn’t want to lose him and confidently stating “Everton hold all the cards”.
Reflecting on past decisions to sell key players like Wayne Rooney, Joleon Lescott and Thomas Gravesen in his initial tenure at Everton, Moyes acknowledged such moves were strategic for funding new signings.
Last year, Manchester United’s £50 million bid for Branthwaite was turned down, and Moyes asserts that Everton is in a favourable position due to the player’s three-year contract.
“You have to remember Jarrad Branthwaite has got three years left on his contract,” Moyes said, noting Everton’s leverage with two years plus an optional year remaining.
“I have to say also over the journey over many years that I’ve had at Everton, we’ve had to sell different players from Wayne Rooney to Mikel Arteta and Joleon Lescott.
“But I wouldn’t think that Jarrad is one that I would want to lose. That’s for sure.”
Branthwaite, who at 22 has already debuted for England, draws comparisons to John Stones, whom Moyes signed back in 2013.
“There could be a similarity in some ways,” Moyes acknowledged, also pointing out Branthwaite’s greater physical attributes. “I think that Jarrad is bigger, quicker than John.”
“John was probably really good on the ball, he also played a couple of positions at the time, he played at full-back and he played in midfield for Barnsley before we signed him.
“So it’s quite a good comparison, there are quite a lot of similarities, but they’re not identical players.
“I think Jarrad is a young centre-back, 22, who’s done remarkable things in the early part of his career.
“I still think he’s got lots and lots of development, which you would expect from a centre-half.
“He’s got some incredibly good attributes. I think he’s doing really well, I think he’s a big talent with lots of development still to come.”
Confident in Everton’s safety, Moyes has begun planning for the upcoming season.
Moyes explained: “I believe now we’ve probably got enough points to be a Premier League club.”
