Suleyman Ozturk urged Liverpool to sign “the revelation of the season” Jarrad Branthwaite, from bitter rivals Everton.
Liverpool are in the market for a new defender as Jurgen Klopp eyes a key player for the long-term future. Ideally, he would have liked on in the summer, but the need to reshape their midfield took precedence, and hence, the manager had no time to strengthen his backline.
Klopp’s plans could push forward after the season-ending injury to Joel Matip, as Liverpool prioritise a centre-back in January. The Reds’ boss recently admitted that clubs will not want to sell their top stars midway through the season and hinted at the difficulty of finding the right player.
In the meantime, he has given ample game time to youngster Jarrel Quansah, who also started against Crystal Palace at the weekend. Hence, he does have decent options but would see the need for a quality defender if Liverpool are to challenge for the Premier League title and the Europa League crown.
Voetball International’s Suleyman Ozturk has urged Liverpool to sign the 21-year-old defender and “the revelation of the season” Jarrad Branthwaite from bitter rivals Everton. He pointed towards the Toffees centre-back’s quality and insisted he saw him as Virgil van Dijk’s long-term successor.
Ozkurt said, “I think the period in the Netherlands, in the Eredivisie, has been good for him,” he said.
“You mention that footballing ability that was also noticeable at PSV, but I also feel his positioning is unbelievable. “In the duels with the Chelsea striker Broja, I thought he was very strong.”
“Micah Richards pointed him out on Match of the Day, and it was interesting because they picked out exactly the moments that I found interesting, the ones where he doesn’t bite but remains central, just like Van Dijk in his peak.
“If I were Liverpool, I would buy him as a successor to Van Dijk. I really think he is the revelation of this season at Everton in the Premier League. He’s already leader in a defence at a club in big trouble. The fact that at 21 you play in the starting line up in a Sean Dyche team is not easy.”
Branthwaite will only think about moving to Liverpool as he does not want to break Everton’s heart. Other Premier League sides are interested in the 21-year-old defender, with Tottenham also angling for a move ahead of January.
Everton are uninterested in a sale and views Branthwaite for the club’s long-term future. The Toffees are in some financial despair and recently saw the Premier League dock them 109 points following a breach of their Profit and Sustainability rules.
More importantly, things might change, but they will not dare sell one of their top assets to bitter rivals Liverpool. Ozturk’s analysis of the defender makes sense from many angles, but any move within Merseyside will unlikely materialise.
