Jarrad Branthwaite

Key strength: Aerial dominance

Defensive anchor

Amid the gloom of Everton's troubling campaign—languishing 12th in the Premier League with a dismal LLDDL run that has yielded just two points from their last five matches—24-year-old centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite has emerged as Sean Dyche's solitary beacon of hope. The Carlisle-born England international, donning the number 32 shirt, has quietly assembled an impressive body of work: 9 appearances and 504 minutes of top-flight football, already contributing 1 goal and 1 assist from the back—attacking returns that underscore his menace from set pieces. Branthwaite's €40 million market valuation tells the story of a defender who has become hot property across Europe, combining aerial dominance with progressive passing to profile as the modern prototype of ball-playing centre-back that elite clubs covet. While teammates like Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry struggle to lift the Toffees from their malaise, the young defender marshals the backline with composure beyond his years. At just 24, his trajectory points toward the very top—whether that future lies at Goodison Park or funds the club's next chapter remains the tantalizing question.