Andy Dunn: Everton bigger than player who's reportedly holding them to ransom

Andy Dunn believes Everton are much bigger than Jarrad Branthwaite as rumours around the exit-linked defender heats up.

The journalist wrote this on 28 July via the Sunday Mirror print edition (page 67) and stated that Branthwaite won’t extend his Goodison Park stay unless the club can match the wages Manchester United was offering.

Dunn also added that the Toffees want to keep the youngster at the club and are currently around the £70,000-per-week mark but will not meet the £170,000-per-week that was on the table at United.

“Jarrad Branthwaite will reportedly not sign a new Everton contract unless the club can match the sort of wages he would be able to earn at Manchester United,” Dunn wrote.

“The Toffees are not exactly flush now, but want to keep hold of Branthwaite and have knocked back two bids from United that they deemed derisory.

“Everton are seemingly willing to give Branthwaite – currently on £70,000-per-week – a wage boost, but are not going to pay him the £170,000-per-week he might command at Old Trafford.

“Everton might not be in the best financial state but the club is still bigger than any one player.”

Everton need to keep Jarrad Branthwaite this season

Last season, Branthwaite was arguably one of Everton’s best players. The defender had a stellar season that even saw him get called up to England’s provisional Euro 2024 team.

Although the youngster never made it on the plane to Germany, the fact that Gareth Southgate even considered taking him showcases how well he played over the 2023/24 campaign.

Since the start of the summer window, Branthwiate has been linked with a move to Erik ten Hag’s United but a deal hasn’t yet managed to come to fruition.

However, that doesn’t mean that the Red Devils haven’t tried their luck as the club has reportedly had two bids for the defender rebuffed already [Daily Mirror, 23 July, page 51].

It was expected that Dyche would be losing his star man this summer but thanks to some smart sales of players such as Lewis Dobbin, it never got to the point where the Toffees needed to sell.

Keeping Branthwaite is essential for Everton this season, especially fi they don’t want to get dragged into another relegation dogfight.

In other Everton news, the move of a Toffees-linked defender now feels closer than ever after what he said.

For more Everton news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

The post Andy Dunn: Everton bigger than player who's reportedly holding them to ransom appeared first on Goodison News.