Dan Bardell believes Everton will sell Amadou Onana to keep Jarrad Branthwaite after accepting an offer from Aston Villa. On July 14, Fabrizio Romano stated that the Belgian international will undergo medical tests following his holiday in preparation for a £50 million move. According to David Ornstein (13 July), this deal will “all-but end” Manchester United’s pursuit of Branthwaite this summer. Sky Sports and talkSPORT writer Bardell believes the Toffees would prefer to keep the Englishman over Onana. Bardell told Villa News exclusively, “I think for Everton, it’s the lesser of two evils.” They do not want to lose Jarrad Branthwaite or Onana this summer.
“Onana was out of the team, at points, towards the end of the season so they can cope without him.”Branthwaite was a key member of one of the Premier League’s strongest defences last season. Everton want to expand on their current backline by bringing in a midfielder and attacking player with Onana.
“I don’t think Everton fans will be massively upset to lose Onana and will be delighted to hopefully now keep Branthwaite.” Amadou Onana is expected to leave Everton for Aston Villa. Branthwaite was undeniably one of the Premier League’s top defenders last season, and he was perhaps Everton’s most valuable player.
Under Sean Dyche, the Toffees’ defense, which included James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford, was one of the finest in the division. Given that the centre back is only 22 years old, he has plenty of room for growth and is not a player the Toffees want to sell. That is not to imply they want to trade Onana, but after starting only two of the last six Premier League games, it makes more sense to move him.
Receiving £50 million for the 22-year-old is a wonderful development, representing a considerable profit after investing £33 million on him in 2022. Losing a player with the quality and promise of the Belgian international is a difficult pill to take, but it appears to be essential this summer.
