While Everton are currently mired in a battle for Premier League survival, the club's hierarchy will also need to begin looking ahead to the end of the season, with a number of first-team assets currently out of contract this summer.
One man who is also facing something of an uncertain future at Goodison Park is loan signing, Conor Coady, with the club yet to decide whether to sign the 30-year-old on a permanent contract, after including a buy option in the deal to bring the defender to Merseyside on a temporary basis.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers man had been a mainstay under former boss Frank Lampard – having started 22 league games this season – although the subsequent arrival of Sean Dyche has seen the Englishman drop to the bench, with Michael Keane having partnered James Tarkowski in the centre of defence of late.
Having previously looked odds on to secure a long-term stay with the Toffees, that slide down the pecking order of late has ensured that it is no guarantee that Coady will be with the club next season, despite Everton having the chance to sign the experienced defender for just £5m.
Dyche and co could well save themselves millions, however, by potentially ditching any plans to keep the ex-Liverpool man at the club, with it perhaps a better decision to turn to academy graduate Jarrad Branthwaite next season, with the 21-year-old currently shining on loan at PSV Eindhoven.
How is Branthwaite getting on at PSV?
It is fair to say that the young starlet has been tipped for big things ever since signing from hometown club Carlisle United back in January 2020, having already made 14 first-team appearances for his former side prior to the move, despite his relative youth.
Speaking soon after the defender's switch to Merseyside, ex-Carlisle boss Steven Pressley was full of praise for the youngster's talents, tipping him as a future star for his country: "The truth is, I think he has got everything. He can pass the ball almost equally as good with both feet. He’s a terrific footballer.
“And If he continues to develop, then, without doubt, he can be an England player.”
Chances have been few and far between for the young Englishman over the past few years – with just 13 senior outings for his parent club to date – although the 6 foot 5 colossus has still caught the eye of key figures at the club, with ex-Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti having previously stated:
"Branthwaite is training with us, he is really young but a really skilful defender with a lot of ability."
That ability has since been showcased during the centre-back's time in the Netherlands, with Branthwaite having been the recipient of hefty praise from PSV boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, with the former Manchester United striker describing him as "complete".
Such all-around quality has been evident throughout the campaign as the one-time Blackburn Rovers loanee has scored four goals and provided one assist in 29 games in all competitions as a marker of his attacking threat, while also showcasing his defensive prowess after averaging 0.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game from his 21 league outings – a better record than that of Coady (0.6 and 0.6).
Such a promising stint abroad has even seen the Eredivisie side attempt to sign the towering asset on a permanent deal, with reports in January suggesting that Everton had turned down an offer of around £15m.
That significant bid is an indication of just how highly-regarded young Branthwaite is by Van Nistelrooy and co, albeit with the Toffees needing to hold firm and keep the defender for themselves to utilise next season.
As such, rather than forking out to keep Coady at the club, Dyche could instead look to the emerging gem to bolster his centre-back ranks.