Everton have steered away from relegation trouble over the past few months, the rise up the Premier League ladder owing to The Friedkin Group’s start to their ownership role and the squad’s response to David Moyes’ tactics.
Replacing Sean Dyche in January, Moyes has been nothing short of a revelation, restoring the feel-good factor and driving positive action ahead of the much-anticipated move to Bramley Moore at the end of the campaign.
It promises to be a busy summer for the Toffees; you could make a starting 11 from the first-team players out of contract in a few months, with a few even left over for the substitutes’ bench.
The future of Jarrad Branthwaite will be a major talking point, the star defender attracting attention from some of the Premier League’s finest. Whatever happens there, Everton are going to want a new centre-back or two.
Everton chasing new centre-back
As per Caught Offside, Everton are among the growing list of suitors for Inter Milan defender Yann Bisseck, though with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur also in the mix, it certainly won’t be an easy deal to complete.
Valued at €55m (about £47m), Bisseck has grown into a core part of Simeone Inzaghi’s season, neck and neck with Barcelona for a place in the Champions League final.
Inter view the 24-year-old as one of their most profitable players and would be open to doing business in the coming months.
Yann Bisseck could become Moyes' star man
With Michael Keane slated for a departure from Everton colours when his contract expires at the end of the season, there’s every chance that a player of Bisseck’s quality could be brought in – especially with James Tarkowski sidelined at the moment too.
Branthwaite will only be allowed to leave if a mammoth figure is paid out. Manchester United are known admirers of the England international, with Caught Offside revealing last month that a £50m proposal was being pieced together.
This puts the 22-year-old in a similar ballpark to Bisseck. They do approach the game with contrasting outlooks: Branthwaite is more of a steely threat on the ground, whereas the 6 foot 4 Inter star is a commanding aerial presence, winning 71% of his headed duels per Serie A game this season, as per Sofascore.
Having left Danish side Aarhus Gymnastikforening for the Nerazzurri for just €7m (£6m) plus bonuses in 2023, Bisseck has had to bide his time for chances to shine, only starting 13 league fixtures in total this term, but the impression he’s made emphasises the reasoning behind the Merseysiders striking a deal before their divisional rivals swoop in.
Moreover, he’s managed to make a good account of himself when given a chance to shine, with the attacking dimension and ball-playing advantage he would add to Moyes’ team something that stands out handsomely when alongside Branthwaite’s Premier League statistics since the start of the season.
Goal involvements
0.04
0.26
Touches
53.61
79.64
Passes attempted
41.57
69.80
Pass completion
81.6%
91.6%
Progressive passes
2.27
5.15
Progressive carries
0.39
1.89
Ball recoveries
3.19
3.65
Tackles + interceptions
2.31
1.96
Clearances
7.21
3.65
Blocks
1.16
0.98
The metrics are, of course, skewed somewhat by Bisseck’s role in an attacking outfit compared to Branthwaite’s settlement in Everton’s backline, operating as a counter-attacking team in the Premier League.
But the scope for a modern sheen would only widen with Bisseck in the mix, bearing the technical game that truly could see him stretch higher and higher toward a position as one of the Premier League’s finest.
Described as a “diamond” of a defender by journalist Antonio Mango, Bisseck has the perfect blend of modern flair and deep-set defensive solidity that would see him fit right in as a fixed part of Moyes’ Everton backline.
Looking at the German’s statistics when ranked up against Branthwaite’s, it’s maybe not ludicrous to think that he could surpass the Toffees titan, be that as his central defensive partner or as his successor.
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