Premier League club Everton has completed the signing of Republic of Ireland defender Jake O’Brien from Lyon, announced earlier today, July 30.
Jake O’Brien began his professional football career at Cork City in 2021, graduating from their youth system. He had loan stints with Crystal Palace’s under-21 team in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The 23-year-old defender made a significant career move to French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyon on August 15, 2023, for a transfer fee of €1 million. In his sole season at Lyon, O’Brien made 32 appearances, scoring five goals and providing two assists in all competitions.
O’Brien’s impressive performance during the 2023-2024 season caught Everton’s attention, leading them to secure his services for €19.50 million. The deal will keep O’Brien at the club until June 30, 2028.
Expressing his excitement about the move, O’Brien said, “I’m buzzing and so happy to have signed for Everton. 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 faith in me so now it’s my turn to show why on the pitch.”
Everton coach Sean Dyche commented on the signing, saying, “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 the international level, and has many impressive attributes to become a top-quality player for Everton in the Premier League.”
Jake O’Brien becomes Everton’s fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of midfielder Tim Iroegbunam, forwards Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom, and the return of Jack Harrison on loan from Leeds United.