Everton have signed defender, Jake O’Brien from Lyon for £16.9m.
O’Brien joined Lyon from Crystal Palace last summer and managed to contribute five goals plus two assists in 34 appearances, as Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1.
Lyon also finished runner-up to PSG in Coupe de France following a 2-1 loss in the Final, despite O’Brien’s second-half consolatory header in the 55th minute.
O’Brien’s performances however impressed Everton who have swooped for the 23 year-old centre-back in a £16.9m transfer, with Lyon set to receive 10% of any future transfer fees due to a sell-on clause inserted in the deal.
O’Brien has signed a four-year contract until June 2028 and is excited to be part of the Toffees.
“I’m buzzing and so happy to have signed for Everton,” commented O’Brien to evertontv. “I’ve been dreaming of this kind of move in the Premier League, with such a historic club. It’s a very exciting move for me.
“Everton is a huge club with a lot of history behind it and there’s a big future as well.
“When the transfer window opened there were other clubs in for me but there was only one club I wanted to go to – it was Everton.
“They’ve shown the faith in me so now it’s my turn to show why on the pitch.”
O’Brien also teased what to expect from him and praised manager, Sean Dyche for his development of young defenders like Jarrad Branthwaite for example.
“I’m a ball-playing centre half, fast, I like to attack in both boxes and I like to bring a bit of excitement.
“You see how Sean Dyche develops young centre-halves and what he has done for Jarrad [Branthwaite]. The way he’s going now, the season he’s had in the Premier League, it’s obviously something I look at and something I want to replicate.
“This season, I just want to play as many games as I can and help the Club get higher up the table. It’s an exciting time and it’d be good to end the season – the last season at Goodison Park – as high up the table as we can.
“We’ve then got the new stadium, which looks great. Not just that but we’re shaping a team for the future and can push on.”
Dyche added: “Jake further strengthens our talented core of centre-backs and adds competition to our squad which can help us continue to progress.
“He is still young but has earned valuable experience both abroad and at international level, and has many impressive attributes to become a top-quality player for Everton in the Premier League.”
O’Brien began his career at Cork City where he made 13 senior appearances before he joined Palace – initially on loan in February 2021 before his transfer was made permanent in August of that year.
He then went on loan to Swindon for the second half of 2021-22 season and managed 21 appearances, which was followed by a successful loan to Belgium’s RWD Molenbeek with three goals in 31 appearances plus promotion to Pro League.
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