Jarrad Branthwaite

Jarrad Branthwaite is the best young centre-back in English football not named Marc Guehi, and there are days when even that qualification feels generous to Guehi. The towering Everton defender combines physical presence — he is an imposing figure who makes strikers recalculate their approach — with composure on the ball and positional awareness that belies his age. The biggest clubs in the country have been circling for multiple transfer windows, and the fact that Everton have held firm on their valuation is either admirable resolve or an indication of the financial desperation that follows when you cannot afford to sell your best player.

Branthwaite’s development from a raw teenager at Carlisle United to an England international centre-back is the kind of story that restores your faith in football’s ability to find talent in unexpected places. His aerial dominance is absolute, his pace for a player of his size is unusual, and his distribution has improved to the point where he looks comfortable playing out from the back in even the most pressured situations. That he has continued to develop amid the turbulence surrounding Everton — points deductions, ownership crises, existential anxiety — is a testament to his mental resilience.

For Australian fans, Branthwaite is a future star developing in real time — a player who you will look back on in five years and say you watched him before he became a household name.

Career Statistics

Player Profile

With 60 appearances and 4 goals, Branthwaite’s consistency at 22 is remarkable. The young England international is the cornerstone of Everton’s 2025-26 squad and a key part of the new era at Bramley-Moore Dock. How long he remains at Everton depends on factors beyond his control, but for now, the Toffees have a defender who would walk into most squads in the Premier League. That is not opinion. That is observation.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com