Jurgen Klopp has already made Jarrad Branthwaite feelings clear to ...

The odds of Jarrad Branthwaite leaving Everton for Liverpool tumbled over the weekend and former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has shown himself to be a fan of the defender

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been clear in his praise of Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, whose odds to join the Reds shortened over the weekend.

Everton remain hopeful of hanging on to defender Branthwaite this summer, though manager Sean Dyche has made reference to an "outside picture" which may complicate things. Questions remain over a potential takeover for the Merseyside club, without which they may be forced to make some sales.

While sanctioning the sale of a star player to their fierce rivals would be bottom of Everton's list, odds of a move fell dramatically over the weekend. One bookmaker, bet365, saw the England international fall from 8/1 to 4/5 to make a move to the red side of the city.

Former Carlisle star Branthwaite enjoyed a breakout season at Goodison Park last term after a successful loan spell at PSV Eindhoven. His performances caught the eye of ex-England boss Gareth Southgate, who handed him a senior debut, while Klopp was another visibly impressed.

"[Everton's] last line [is] super-experienced, and with Branthwaite now a really good left-footed centre-half," Klopp said in October 2023 ahead of the first Merseyside Derby of the season. Two late Mohamed Salah goals gave Liverpool the win that day, but Branthwaite starred when Dyche's team won the reverse fixture in April.

Klopp also cited the centre-back when explaining why he was reluctant to use young striker Jayden Danns at Goodison Park. "[That wasn't] a game for an 18-year-old boy, and Tarkowski and Branthwaite kill you in these situations and it doesn’t help,” he said.

Branthwaite's form last season brought interest from Manchester United, who saw a bid rejected before turning their attention to Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt. He wasn't part of Everton's line-up for the opening game of the season, with Michael Keane partnering James Tarkowski in a 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton.

Can you see Jarrad Branthwaite moving across Merseyside? Let us know in the comments section

Unlike their neighbours, Liverpool began the season with a win and a clean sheet. There are still questions at the back for new manager Arne Slot, though, with Virgil van Dijk's contract situation still unresolved and Jarell Quansah substituted after a challenging first half against Ipswich.

"The first thing I said was we don't have to speak about tactics if you lose so many duels, and that's what we did," Slot told TNT Sports after the 2-0 win. He confirmed Quansah's withdrawal at the break was a tactical move, with Ibrahima Konate taking the youngster's place.

"It's not that Jarell lost every duel, many of us lost too many duels, so we needed Konate to win these long balls in the air towards their No.9 (Liam Delap), so that helped and gave us control," he continued. "But they put so, so much energy into the first half, running, fighting, playing all over the pitch one v one, and I don't think they could keep up with that tempo in the second half."

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