Jake O’Brien could be leaving Everton, with Paul Wheelock and Joe Thomas examining what his departure might signify for the club.
Jake O’Brien playing for Everton in a pre-season friendly against VfB Stuttgart. Picture: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Get
With seven days remaining before the transfer window shuts, Everton face significant tasks ahead.
The club aims to complete both arrivals and departures in the coming week, with acquiring a right-back deemed crucial, while numerous squad players may depart should acceptable bids arrive.
One surprising situation that could develop is whether to retain O’Brien after The Athletic disclosed on Monday that Everton would consider offers for the defender.
Here, several ECHO journalists share their views on the possibility that the Irish player’s time on Merseyside might be ending.
Paul Wheelock
More than 24 months have passed since Everton last sold a regular first-team player. While Youssef Chermiti did move to Rangers for £10m last September, the previous senior squad departure was Amadou Onana joining Aston Villa for £50m in July 2024. Therefore, a summer sale would not be unprecedented.
The unexpected element could be which player leaves.
With just seven days left in the transfer window, it would be logical for various reasons if Everton entertained proposals for Nathan Patterson, Tim Iroegbunam, Carlos Alcaraz and Beto.
However, it now appears they will do the same for O’Brien.
I have mixed feelings about this. I do not oppose David Moyes’ choice to partner new club captain James Tarkowski with Jarrad Branthwaite as the preferred centre-back duo for the season’s opening. Nor do I object to the Everton manager’s decision to give Merlin Rohl the nod at right-back ahead of O’Brien while the club persists in seeking a specialist for that position.
Should O’Brien be unwilling to bide his time behind, most likely, Tarkowski, and should Moyes and the club question his suitability as a long-term central defender, allowing him to leave could be reasonable.
Yet the limited evidence of O’Brien playing at centre-back, particularly alongside Branthwaite, has generated understandable concerns among fans about whether this could be a departure the club might come to regret.
There is also the question of what this would mean for the squad this season. Every Everton supporter hopes Branthwaite can avoid injuries. However, should the England international miss games, the Blues cannot depend solely on Tarkowski and Keane as their other centre-back choices.
Maintaining Branthwaite’s fitness truly is the crucial factor. I believe Everton immediately become a stronger team regardless of who partners him.
So if that occurs, and the club secures another, younger centre-back, and equally significantly, an established right-back, I could accept O’Brien departing, particularly if Everton make a substantial profit on the £17m they paid Lyon for him.
However, this raises numerous questions and simply feels like an unexpected complication Everton could do without right now.
Joe Thomas
Any transfer of O’Brien, should it occur, would strike me as peculiar – at least unless it commanded an exceptional fee.
I consider O’Brien a developing star. He has grafted, for too long but with reasonable success, out of position at right-back. However, his roughly 18 months in that role means he now possesses considerable Premier League experience.
This should only benefit him in his preferred position of centre-back, when circumstances allow. On the occasions he has featured there, he has been outstanding. Victories – including clean sheets – at challenging venues such as Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest come to mind.
I comprehend why Moyes has begun the campaign with Tarkowski, who brings experience and leadership to a side that, given the absence of a specialist right-back and with James Garner and Christian Norgaard injured, requires both attributes.
Yet with Tarkowski and Michael Keane approaching 34 this campaign, I would be devising a strategy to transition toward a partnership of O’Brien and Branthwaite.
I believe O’Brien and Branthwaite possess the potential to rank among Europe’s finest centre-back pairings – their stature, their speed, their composure on the ball should form a formidable combination.
One must also consider Branthwaite’s injury record. He has strengthened over the summer and we all hope his issues are behind him. However, can we assume that? Not yet. O’Brien represents approximately the ideal replacement one could wish for should Branthwaite encounter any problems.
Should Everton permit O’Brien to depart, he would require replacement. I struggle to envision a realistic scenario where he leaves and Everton end up stronger, certainly not in the immediate term. And if the objectives outlined by Angus Kinnear the previous week – competing for European qualification and cup success to demonstrate concrete progress – apply, that appears problematic.