Carlisle United can benefit from Jarrad Branthwaite, England snub as Everton transfer saga kicks-off: View | OneFootball

The former United centre-back could become one of the most expensive British defenders in history this summer.

Many people, especially those with blue-tinted glasses, felt that Jarrad Branthwaite should have gone with England to the Euros, but Gareth Southgate's decision to omit the defender from his squad could be of benefit to Carlisle United.

The one big question with this England team, which seems to have yet another golden generation, is at the back. They have defenders who either aren't quite up to the level of the rest of the squad, or the ones that are injured, for the most part.

The inclusion of the likes of Lewis Dunk and Marc Guehi were questioned because of their injury record over the past year, and their record when playing, although the latter of two's inclusion has been vindicated.

Branthwaite, a six-foot, five-inch left-footed centre-half, would've provided something completely different to any other defensive option they had.

His ability and calmness on the ball, plus his ability to win duels, both aerially and on the ground, made him a lot of people's picks to make the squad. It wasn't to be though.

Especially for those of a Carlisle or Everton persuasion, it would have been brilliant to see the 21-year-old continue on his meteoric rise by playing in Germany this summer.

But Branthwaite not being chosen may help out United.

Jarrad Branthwaite's England snubbing could benefit Carlisle

iSport have reported that the Blues, who sold the Wigton-born defender to Everton in January 2020 for a reported £1 million fee, have a 15% sell-on clause for Branthwaite.

In the same report, the outlet said that Manchester United, who recently submitted a formal £35 million bid for the defender, which was quickly rejected by Everton, would be willing to pay £55 million for him, but that Everton would want £80 million.

If the Merseysiders get what they want, and the reports about the sell-on percentage are correct, then the Blues could be in for an eight-figure pay day.

While a good Euros campaign could have increased the amount of money that Carlisle could receive from Branthwaite being sold, as a result of Everton driving his price even further up, his exclusion from England's team does mean one thing.

If he is sold, Carlisle are more likely to get that money earlier.

If the 21-year-old were currently in Germany, things would be moving much slower on the transfer front, and there's a chance that the earliest that United would have received any pay-off would have been the start of August, leaving them with less time to use their new revenue.

Another factor that could speed up a sale is Everton's financial standings. They received a points deduction last season for breaches of financial rules, and their current position still isn't great, as per The Athletic, although the noise coming from the club suggests it's not that bad.

They would prefer to make up their lost fiscal ground by selling academy-grown assets, rather than offloading their premier defender, but it may be of benefit to them to sell Branthwaite before the end of June.

How Carlisle should use the Jarrad Branthwaite money

Firstly, there is no guarantee that Everton will sell him this summer. As much as Carlisle fans, and those at the club too, don't want that to happen, it is a possibility. The Toffees have said that they want to keep hold of him, which is understandable given how good he was last season.

But the odds are in Carlisle's favour and, even if it doesn't happen in this window, the chances are that Branthwaite won't be playing for Everton forever.

Carlisle have announced that their new owners, the Piataks, are putting in a total of £8.5 million into renovating the club - £4.5 million on Brunton Park and the surrounding facilities, and £4 million on a brand-new training facility.

Improving the club as a whole is the aim, and the money that they will receive if Branthwaite is sold will hugely speed up that process.

The geography of the club can make recruiting harder than it needs to be, but if they can wow players with state-of-the-art facilities and lovely homes for them to live in, it will make the job of the recruiting staff much easier.

Plans to do so are already in place, but another, however-many-million on top of the currently allotted budget to continue that work would be great.

Of course, it will also help in terms of the wages and fees that they can offer to improve the team, but the fans' experience in and around the ground should, and probably will, be part of the plans for the potential new influx of cash.

It could also allow the club to recruit more staff, either on the football or the business side of things, or both.

The money from Branthwaite being sold should open up even more doors than are already being opened by the Piataks, and it could be revolutionary for the club.

Without Euro selection, it could land sooner rather than later.