Spurs want £80m “monster” who could become better than Romero & Van de Ven

Tottenham Hotspur will want to approach the new year with a clean slate, having fallen by the wayside in recent weeks.

Ange Postecoglou’s stubborn implementation of his free-flowing, attack-focused brand has unmoored the fanbase’s collective belief and devotion to the cause. Spurs have been buffeted by injuries but a refusal to tweak things has compounded the struggle.

This is the case, but the Australian coach must be frustrated that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have been sidelined together for successive winters down N17.

The spare parts haven’t upheld Postecoglou’s tactical virtues, and it’s all become rather messy, 11th in the Premier League and 11 points off fourth-placed Chelsea. The frontline is firing but the balance is wonky.

Tottenham must reinforce a talented group of players with more quality, more depth, more dynamism. The polarising Daniel Levy appears to have an ambitious name in mind.

Spurs eyeing new centre-back

As per The Mail on Sunday – via TEAMtalk – Tottenham are interested in pursuing a deal for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and have held internal talks to work out the possibility of a bid.

Branthwaite is one of the best up-and-coming defenders in Europe and was the centre of vested attention from Manchester United last summer, but Everton stood firm with their lofty valuation.

Indeed, Branthwaite, 22, has been appraised at about £80m by the Merseysiders, meaning that Levy would need to break Tottenham’s transfer record to bring him to the capital.

What Jarrad Branthwaite would bring to Spurs

Branthwaite enjoyed his first season of sustained Premier League football under Sean Dyche’s wing last year and was hailed as an “absolute monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig after his… well, monstrous performances.

He’s not the complete defender. Not yet. However, Branthwaite’s accuracy and destructive defensive skill make it clear that he’s got the minerals to be a first-class player in a first-class team.

Tottenham aren’t yet a top-class team under Postecoglou despite sporadic bits of brilliance, but this player-club marriage could bear dividends for a side capable of achieving great things over the coming years.

It’s no coincidence that Everton’s dismal start to the 2024/25 campaign played out with Branthwaite in the infirmary and that Dyche’s defensive grit has been rekindled in recent months, the hulking ace having returned and kept five clean sheets across just 11 Premier League appearances.

He’s won 81% of his ground duels, ludicrously high, and could be the difference-maker as Everton seek to preserve their Premier League status with confidence over the coming months.

With some work and care, he could become a superstar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, potentially becoming even better than Romero and Van de Ven.

Branthwaite’s potential to be better than Romero & Van de Ven

Tottenham’s preferred defensive axis are formidable and versatile when on their a-game, but the London club’s inconsistencies have disrupted what could be sheer brilliance, injuries compounding their woes further.

With Romero and Van de Ven in the team this season, Spurs have conceded eight goals from nine Premier League fixtures; without them, Ange has watched his patchwork defence leak 18 goals from just eight games.

They have their foibles, to be sure, but Van de Ven’s incredible athleticism and Romero’s fearsome aggression have fused together to plant the seed of something special. Of course, they share a mutual technical ability that matches the finest of their positional peers across Europe.

For Branthwaite to enter the fray at Tottenham and insinuate himself in the starting line-up would be quite a feat, but Tottenham have indeed suffered regular absences from both of their titans in recent years and could do with another presence to add some more steel.

Who knows, Branthwaite may even find himself dethroning one of the starting members as he improves under Ange’s guidance.

There’s a lot to unpack. Something curious that’s worthy of discussion, however, is Branthwaite’s 85% pass success rate despite being at the core of an Everton side that, as a rule, stray away from holding possession.

It’s important to remember that the English centre-half performs in a system that actively promotes counter-attacking football. To put it another way, Branthwaite exists in a realm that minimises ball-playing for someone of his duty, instead tasked with protecting the Everton goal and clearing danger with haste.

Everton rank 19th for possession in the Premier League this term with a 40.1% average (FBref), Tottenham, conversely, are third with a 57.9% retention rate.

It’s only natural that Spurs’ defenders would be allowed to let their range of passing flourish, and that Branthwaite has been unable, as yet, to demonstrate that side of his game with regularity in a befitting and consistent system.

Given that Branthwaite is already such a redoubtable defensive presence, with statistics that back up his authority at the rear, there’s a case to be made that he could eclipse both of Tottenham’s star centre-backs under Ange’s tutelage, honing new talents and fostering the deep-rooted combativeness that has alerted the best outfits around to his quality.