Jarrad Branthwaite drops honest verdict on Carlos Alcaraz’s debut for Everton vs Bournemouth – he noticed two things

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Everton may have lost to Bournemouth on Saturday in the FA Cup, but fans did get their first glimpse of new signing Carlos Alcaraz.

Everton completed a deal to sign Alcaraz on transfer deadline day, landing the player on an initial loan basis from Flamengo.

Fans had hoped for more signings.

But Everton were still wary of PSR, and Moyes was also keen not to splash cash on players who wouldn’t necessarily improve Everton.

Ultimately, the right players at the prices just weren’t available.

But Carlos Alcaraz came in and on Saturday, he came off the bench to make his debut against Bournemouth – and Jarrad Branthwaite shared what he made of his new teammate after the game.

• READ MORE: Who is Everton loanee Carlos Alcaraz? Everything to know from salary to injury record

Jarrad Branthwaite praises Carlos Alcaraz after positive Everton debut

Some had hoped that Alcaraz would start against Bournemouth.

But that was always unlikely given the Argentine had barely trained following his loan move to Goodison Park.

Alcaraz was named on the bench and then entered the action on 65 minutes, replacing Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Everton improved in the second-half and the introduction of Alcaraz was partly a reason for that.

The South American finished his 25-minute cameo with 93% pass accuracy, and also supplied two ‘key’ passes. He also came within a whisker of scoring his first Everton goal, striking the post from a free-kick just outside the penalty area.

His showing left an impression on Branthwaite, who noticed two things in particular about his debut – his free-kick ability, and how he linked up with his teammates in dangerous areas.

He said of his new teammate (via BBC Sport): “He looked bright with this free-kick and a couple of link-up plays on the edge of the box. Hopefully, he can add to our team and create that dynamism in the middle.”

David Moyes also praised Alcaraz, stating he was pleased with his new signing’s efforts after coming on at 2-0 down.

Everton fans also really liked what they saw from Alcaraz, believing he could turn out to be a great addition.

Alcaraz should start for Everton against Liverpool

He has only been at the club for a week, but Alcaraz surely has to be considered to start for Everton against Liverpool on Wednesday.

It was a very positive cameo performance from him against Bournemouth, and Everton need this kind of creativity in and around the final third.

We’ve seen how goalscoring has been a real issue this season.

But as Branthwaite said, there were a couple of good link-ups he did on the edge of the box against Bournemouth, and he could cause some harm against Liverpool.

Alcaraz previously played in a 4-4 draw against Liverpool when he was at Southampton and really stood out. So that’s another reason Moyes ought to try and get him in from the start.