Everton picked up a valuable point against West Ham United on Saturday, providing Sean Dyche’s outfit with something before the joy of another international break puts the Premier League into cryogenic sleep.
It was a match that might have induced a few into such a coma-like state, drab and dour two bywords to sum up the goalless draw. Even so, the Toffees are hardening their resilience and have now lost just one league fixture in seven.
Look, it wasn’t great, and Everton need to take things up a gear (or several) if they are to establish themselves in the English top flight this season, if they are to find a solid foundation in the overtures of a new life banked on the River Mersey.
But they did claim a clean sheet to complement their point. Who should have returned to the starting line-up but Jarrad Branthwaite, who is just so important for Everton.
Everton relish the return of Jarrad Branthwaite
The din of transfer battles rumbled in the background on Merseyside this summer, with Everton aware that they had to sell something prizeworthy after breaching the Premier League’s PSR rules last season.
Branthwaite was at the epicentre of such issues, for Manchester United needed new defenders and held the titanic young Englishman in high regard.
Endowed with the athletic mass and technical grace to become a top-drawer defender, United launched several bids to sign Branthwaite but fell some way short of Everton’s valuation. The 22-year-old has struggled with injuries this season but may well have made the correct call in remaining at Goodison as he hones his craft further.
Everton’s star centre-back has started two Premier League fixtures this season, and here they are in separate parts.
One. Victory over Crystal Palace on home soil in September, ending the Toffees’ five-match winless run to commence the term. He was awarded an 8/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo, imperious and mighty.
Two. Last weekend against West Ham. Everton kept a much-needed clean sheet and the England international was crucial in achieving this, winning five duels and making three tackles and clearances apiece, as per Sofascore.
Of course, it’s nearly universally recognised among those of Everton faith that losing this wonderful rising star would have been the biggest detriment to Dyche’s project this year, and that alternative means had to be found.
A big-money sale was required, and Amadou Onana was the man chosen to leave for pastures new. It had to happen, all things considered, but it’s left a rueful smear on the club all the same.
Everton must rue losing Amadou Onana
Onana has made a fine start to life in the Midlands, having joined Aston Villa in a deal worth £50m this July. It was a poignant one, but Onana never really nailed down a star spot under Dyche’s wing, only starting 23 Premier League matches last year.
Even so, the Belgian midfielder is only 23 and has one of the most robust and exciting skill sets of any player on English shores, with talent scout Jacek Kulig once hailing him as the “complete package” and a “Swiss Army Knife in midfield.” Quirky praise, but fitting.
Onana proved to be a real coup for Everton when he was signed. Rising to prominence with LOSC Lille in France, the English outfit secured his services after fending off fierce competition from West Ham United, and he would go on to amass
Last year, journalist Antonio Mango remarked that he “has all the attributes to become a midfield powerhouse”, and Onana is now starting to show that he will realise that potential, or, at the least, fall into the ballpark.
Matches (starts)
30 (23)
10 (10)
Goals
2
2
Assists
0
0
Touches*
45.4
44.1
Pass completion
85%
90%
Key passes*
0.6
0.3
Ball recoveries*
5.3
3.6
Dribbles*
0.4
0.6
Tackles + interceptions*
3.1
4.1
Total duels won*
6.0 (66%)
5.4 (55%)
Curiously, Onana was actually performing at a level similar to his standing at Villa Park. Everton could have done with a bit more from the Belgian in instances, but still packed in a pretty penny from his departure. A crucial recoup.
But the potential is evident. According to CIES Football Observatory, Onana has already risen higher, financially, from the price tag that he carried upon his sale. Indeed, he’s worth £56m.
This actually means that he’s worth more than his erstwhile teammate Branthwaite, according to the number-crunching site. Branthwaite is marked with a £44m price.
Onana has all the qualities to rise to the very top of the game. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 5% of central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year over the past year for goals scored, the top 8% for tackles and the top 13% for aerial battles won per 90.
Dyche might regret the whole ordeal that saw the prized midfielder leave, but he will also pragmatically lean into the acceptance that it was the right move.
Even so, given that he’s already surpassed Branthwaite in terms of market value, there must be a certain measure of frustration that the financials were not in better accord and that he could not continue his development at Goodison Park.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
In football, fortunes change with the vagaries of the season, and Everton have proved to be solid if very much unspectacular this term, rebounding from the dredges of that early-stage dismality.
Onana could be a real titan in this latest iteration of Dyche’s squad, but his sale was a necessary evil. Losing Branthwaite, no doubt, would have been a bigger and more bruising blow.
Everton wasted millions on Silva flop who earned far more than McNeil
Everton spent millions on a player who earned a fortune at the club
ByRoss KilvingtonNov 12, 2024