By Wayne Veysey

16th Dec, 2022 | 7:02am

Sources: PSV stars beg coach not to allow Jarrad Branthwaite's Everton deal to be terminated

PSV Eindhoven stars have begged club chiefs not to allow Jarrad Branthwaite to return to Everton in January, sources have told Football Insider.

The defender, 20, joined the Dutch club in the summer on a season-long agreement but the Merseysiders can activate a recall clause next month.

PSV were initially willing for Branthwaite to head back to his parent club and have held discussions with Everton about that possibility, as Football Insider revealed last week (8 December).

But first-team stars at PSV have been won over by Branthwaite in recent months and want him to stay.

They have told the club’s coaching staff that the strapping defender is “very difficult” to play against in training and is getting better to play against all the time.

Branthwaite has made 12 appearances in all competitions for PSV and was a key member of their first-team squad before the World Cup break.

The centre-back is highly rated by Everton’s coaches and has already played 13 times for their own first team.

According to a report from the Daily Mail (7 December), Jose Mourinho and Roma have expressed their interest in signing Branthwaite on a permanent basis.

The youngster was sent off in his penultimate Everton appearance last season as Lampard’s side fought tooth and nail to stave off the threat of relegation.

He joined the Merseysiders in 2020 for a fee of £1million after coming through the ranks at Carlisle United.

His first-team opportunities at Goodison Park have been limited even further by the emergence of Conor Coady and James Tarkowski as a solid centre-back partnership after they joined in the summer window.

PSV and Branthwaite return to action following the World Cup with an Eredivisie meeting against Sparta Rotterdam on 7 January.

In other news, Football Insider updates with Everton braced for manager change amid Lampard interest.