He’s enjoyed an excellent campaign during 2023/24.
Everton can already look ahead to the 2024/25 campaign after they secured their place in the Premier League despite a season of off-the-field turmoil.
The Toffees ended the season 14 points clear of the relegation zone, with the defence playing a real key part in their success – keeping 13 clean sheets in the process.
Sean Dyche has led the team to survival, despite two points deductions during the season, with five wins in the club’s last eight games in the top-flight during 2023/24.
The former Burnley boss and his recruitment team can now look ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window to decide what they want to do to improve the playing squad ahead of next term.
However, the club could lose multiple key players during the off-season, with the club needing to offload players to avoid a further PSR breach during the upcoming season.
Jarrad Branthwaite is the most likely to leave Merseyside, amid rampant interest from Manchester United, leaving Dyche and his side with a gaping hole in their backline, desperately needing to target one player to replace the youngster at Goodison.
The player Everton should target to replace Branthwaite
In previous months, Everton have been linked with a move to sign Hull City centre-back Jacob Greaves, following his excellent campaign for the Tigers in the Championship.
The 23-year-old has featured 43 times for the second-tier side, with Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur are also said to hold an interest in the left-footed centre-back, although the extent of their interest in him remains unclear at this moment in time.
Football Insider has previously claimed that a bid of around £15m from any of the sides interested should be enough to tempt the Tigers into doing business in the summer.
It could prove to be a potential bargain for Dyche’s side, especially considering the price of English talents in 2024. Undoubtedly, the club won’t want to lose star man Branthwaite, but their financial status could see them have to sell him to balance the books.
However, any potential move for Greaves could be a shrewd one, with the youngster having the ability to follow in the footsteps of a big-money Premier League talent.
Why Greaves could be Harry Maguire 2.0 for Everton
Harry Maguire has been a big name in England over the last couple of years, joining Manchester United for £80m from Leicester City and featuring for England at numerous major competitions.
However, he also featured for Hull at an earlier stage in his career, making a name for himself before completing his move to the East Midlands after the Foxes Premier League triumph – with Greaves set to follow a similar path to his compatriot.
When delving into Greaves’ stats this season, the 22-year-old has produced some excellent figures that blow United centre-back Maguire out of the water.
The “top-class” defender, as dubbed by Second Tier Podcast host Ryan Dilks, has managed a tally of 161 progressive passes in 2023/24 – a tally that is more than double the 31-year-old during the same time period.
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