Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has admitted that he’s taken note of transfer reports linking him with a shock move to Liverpool.
As per The Mirror, the Reds are among several clubs keeping tabs on the centre-back, who’s currently on loan at PSV Eindhoven, with scouts from Anfield having watched him in action during the 2022/23 season.
The 20-year-old made an interesting admission when reflecting on the widespread interest in acquiring his services.
He told The Mirror: “I think when all of those clubs are interested and watching your games, it’s gonna be one of them where you take notice.”
While Branthwaite didn’t namecheck any particular suitor, it’s legitimate to assume that he might be aware of Liverpool’s reported interest in him.
If that were to evolve into a transfer being completed, one can only imagine how furious Everton supporters would be to see one of their players going directly across Stanley Park, just as the likes of Nick Barmby and Abel Xavier have done previously.
Of course, even if the Reds are firmly interested in the defender, they’re far from guaranteed to land him, amid fellow interest from suitors such as Manchester United and Roma (The Mirror).
However, Branthwaite’s admission that he’s taken notice of such transfer interest is rather interesting, when he could very easily have said in no uncertain fashion that he’s committed to his parent club for the long run.
It’s a potential window of opportunity for Liverpool, and a possible red rag to a bull for our neighbours on the other side of Stanley Park.
‘We’ve seen that before…’ – Aldridge sounds dangerous Liverpool precedent that FSG must heed
John Aldridge has warned FSG that the relationship with the Liverpool fanbase ‘could turn sour’ if they fail to deliver in the summer transfer window.
He cited the toxicity between Kopites and previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett as a dangerous precedent to avoid if the incumbent hierarchy are to avoid the club from turning into ‘a soap opera’.
The demise of Jurgen Klopp’s team this season from their previous highs, in tandem with numerous injuries severely testing the depth of the squad, has led to pleas for the ownership to finance a busy summer of transfer activity.
Midfield is viewed as a position of high priority, with abundant transfer links to the likes of Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount and several more.
Aldridge has urged FSG to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors at Anfield and ensure that they loosen the purse strings significantly in order to revitalise the squad.
In his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, the former Reds striker wrote: “The club is valued at between £3bn and £4bn and FSG only bought us for £300m. They have done great business up until now, but the pressure is on them to deliver in the market.
“If they don’t, it could turn sour with the fans and I wouldn’t like to see that. We’ve seen that before with Hicks and Gillett and we don’t want to go down that road.
“The owners have to dip into money they have and getting someone in as a partner to finance their spending isn’t the answer for me, we may as well sell the club as a whole if you do that. We don’t want to be turned into a soap opera like we were before they purchased us.
“In my opinion, we will have to spend at least £250million in the summer and it’s something we should be able to afford when you see Chelsea spending £600million in under than a year. You need to speculate to accumulate.”