adminWhilst Everton will be eager to point out that he who laughs last shall laugh hardest now that Manchester City have been found guilty by the Premier League just a month after Iliman Ndiaye’s big-money move, they should still have plenty of regrets.
It’s not necessarily the fact they lost their biggest star that will continue to hurt. It was the manner in which the Toffees lost their key player. Waiting until the final stages of the window, Everton accepted £65m from Man City to sell Ndiaye and generate the funds required to sign Folarin Balogun to address their problem.
The problem was that, when the deadline passed, Balogun was not wearing the Everton shirt. Instead, he was on a flight back to Monaco, leaving those at Hill Dickinson wondering whether members of David Moyes’ squad were capable of replicating Ndiaye’s influence by themselves.
Why Everton have a major problem without Ndiaye
On the one hand, Everton have an untouched £65m in the bank that they cannot stop thinking about. On the other, they have a conversation with Moyes, who is desperately trying to find a replacement for Ndiaye’s production.
Without the attacker, the Toffees have managed just six goals in five Premier League matches, despite avoiding defeat in impressive fashion.
That figure looks even worse when taking into account that two of those six goals have come from striker Thierno Barry. Without the forward, only two teams would have scored fewer goals than Everton, and both of those clubs are in the relegation zone (Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur).
For now, the results are coming, but that will not withstand the test of time if Moyes cannot discover goals from other members of his attack.
The likes of George and Grealish simply have to make an immediate impact after the international break if Everton are to compete for a European place this season.
The only other option for Moyes is to rely on his next biggest star, who is rapidly attracting similar attention to Ndiaye in a completely different position.
How Everton replaced Ndiaye’s star power in surprise fashion
Replacing Ndiaye was never solely about his numbers and attacking position. It was also about replacing the star quality he left behind. The intimidation factor that when his name appeared on the teamsheet, opposing sides knew they were in for a difficult afternoon.
Balogun could have replaced the numbers, shirt sales and star power. Ultimately, Everton’s own overconfidence worked against them when they did not have enough time to show such certainty.
Since then, their attack has laboured towards results while their defence has delivered displays worthy of their current fifth-place position. And that’s where their real star can be found; their unexpected Ndiaye replacement in Jarrad Branthwaite.
It is worth remembering that, before Ndiaye, Branthwaite was expected to become the big-money departure. Before injuries intervened, the centre-back attracted interest from Manchester United and even rivals Liverpool. Everton, meanwhile, had placed a £75m valuation on him.
After missing 55 matches across the previous two seasons through injury, Branthwaite’s development stalled, as did speculation surrounding a lucrative move elsewhere in the Premier League.
It has taken the young defender 12 months to rediscover his best form, and now his value is beginning to rise towards new heights. After starting all five Premier League matches – conceding only three goals during that period – Branthwaite is now valued at as much as £80m, according to Football Insider this week.
He is Everton’s leading star once again and has replaced Ndiaye in that regard. While Moyes cannot depend on his limited and understrength attack, he can and has relied on a defensive unit that has established itself among the strongest in the Premier League so far this season.
It is no coincidence that the Toffees’ resurgence has aligned with Branthwaite’s return to full fitness.
With 10.8 defensive contributions per game, the only concern Everton have regarding their defender this season is the possibility that major clubs come calling for the first time in more than a year.
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