We continue the Gameweek 25 Scout Notes with another game on Saturday: Fulham 1-2 Everton.
WHY BRANTHWAITE WAS ON THE BENCH
The fit-again Vitali Mykolenko (£4.5m) returned straight to the starting line-up for Everton on Saturday.
It marked a swift end to David Moyes’ four-centre-halves setup at the back in Gameweek 24.
But that’s what it was Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.3 million), no Michael Keane (£4.7 million), which made way. Keane was reportedly the fall man last week before Mykolenko suffered a late injury.
Moyes explained his reasoning after the win at Craven Cottage.
“We had to manage his minutes because we were out for the better part of seven or eight months, I don’t know how long that is. So we played him.” [for] largely last week, as he played 45 [minutes against Leeds] too, and it was a quick turnaround from Monday to Saturday. We were just a little concerned about pushing him too quickly.
“No, there won’t be a problem for him on Tuesday – or I don’t think so, no.” – David Moyes on Jarrad Branthwaite
That last line introduced an element of doubt for Gameweek 26. Is Moyes turning around a winning side, even if it didn’t look too watertight (particularly in the first half)? Or will he reintroduce his most gifted centre-back at the expense of a hapless teammate – possibly Keane?
RAUL AT RISK IF MUNIZ COMES BACK
Raul Jimenez (£6.2 million) has risen in the most unspectacular way in recent months. He has scored 10 times in his last 18 starts, never having more than one goal or assist in a match. The Mexican has not yet reached double figures in 2025/2026.
His last return was both a rejected big chance and an assist. Somehow he managed to miss one Alex Iwobi (£6.3 million) pass Jordan Pickford‘s (£5.6m) parry then bounced back off the hapless Mykolenko.
Jimenez has had an unbroken string of starts due to the long absence of Rodrigo Muniz (£5.3m) – but the Brazilian forward is now back.
Muniz made his return from injury late on Saturday, replacing Raul. It is not surprising that the Mexican has not had so many minutes in a match (74) since the beginning of December.
“It’s definitely going to be important. I see a lot of people are excited about it, but I think it’s normal. When you have a senior striker on the bench, I think it’s normal.”
“It wasn’t normal for us the last two or three months. The way we played and the way we sat there without solutions, that’s not normal.” – Marco Silva on the return of Rodrigo Muniz
Anyone considering Raul for the next match (there may not have been many!) may have to reconsider.
DEWSBURY-“HAULS” IN A GAME OF TWO HALVES
It feels like everyone from 7th to 16th is capable of beating each other. This difficult to call game turned out to be on the cutting edge; Before halftime, Fulham were the better team, then Everton.
While Jake O’Brien (£4.9 million) nodded against the post early on, otherwise it was all Fulham until half-time. After the opener, Samuel Chukwueze (£5.3m) got a great save from Pickford, Emile Smith Rowe (£5.6m) and Chukwueze both hit the crossbar, Jimenez dragged another big chance wide and Smith Rowe could not beat Pickford from eight yards. Even after the break, Jimenez was inches away from tapping in a Chukwueze pass.
You may be thinking, Stan Valcheck style, “I don’t belong Harry Wilson‘s (£6.1m) name all over here”. This was one of his quieter displays, but he has always been more of a ‘magic moments’ player than an all-round contributor. Even on Saturday he could have returned despite anonymity: he shot for over 40 minutes, was a Raul pass away from a very likely goal (the Mexican shot wide instead) and would have scored an assist if Chukwueze had shot from the edge of the box instead of to try to make it square.
Everton itself has a budget midfielder who rivals Wilson for points per start this season:
Kiernan Dewsbury Hall (£4.9m) looked a threat on his first start after the injury last week and he followed that up by ghosting into the Fulham box to meet low center Mykolenko and restore parity.
Much of Everton’s threat otherwise came from set-piece situations, with DefCon gobbledygook James Garner (£5.2 million) and Dewsbury-Hall knocked in the balls. The latter’s corner was hit into his own net by Bernd Leno (£4.9m), handing the budget midfielder his ninth return of 2025/2026.
Garner, meanwhile, has earned DefCon points in nine of the last ten Gameweeks!
As for DefCon, James Tarkowski (£5.8m) strangely recorded just three contributions this week. One to keep an eye on – but the last time he did that he went on a seven-match DefCon run…
Joachim Andersen (£4.6m), meanwhile, was one contribution short of DefCon points for the second time in four Gameweeks.
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