Everton: Sean Dyche may already have eyes on Jarrad Branthwaite 2.0 as Jake O’Brien transfer news emerges
Sean Dyche may already be eyeing up a move for Jarrad Branthwaite 2.0 at Everton with Lyon youngster Jake O’Brien on the club’s radar in January.
French news outlet Foot Mercato (4 December) the Toffees are considering making a move for the Irish defender who is “already proving to be very valuable” despite Lyon’s 18th-placed position in Ligue 1.
However, it is believed that O’Brien is happy at Les Gones and Lyon are not interested in letting the “formidable” 22-year-old go who is their top scorer this season, with three goals from eight appearances [Transfermarkt].
Also, the matter seems “complicated” given Everton’s own position in the Premier League table following their points deduction.
There isn’t much room for optimism at Lyon this season given their perilous position currently rock bottom of Ligue 1 having won just one game all season.
However, O’Brien has certainly been their biggest success story in an otherwise dour and disappointing season, registering three goals from seven appearances and emerging as a permanent fixture in the team.
The Ireland U21 international has also scored Lyon’s last three goals in Ligue 1 and is the club’s joint-top scorer, alongside Alexandre Lacazette.
O’Brien’s performances have come as a surprise, as despite arriving in August, it was expected that he would leave on loan to get more first-team experience. However, he quickly impressed then-manager Laurent Blanc before consolidating his place in the starting line-up under Fabio Grosso.
As per SofaScore, it’s easy to see why his stock in France is so high, successfully completing 91 per cent of his passes, averaging 6.9 balls recovered, winning 64 per cent of his total duels and a whopping 74 per cent of his aerial duels along with his three goals in Ligue 1.
Such numbers draw a similar comparison to Branthwaite who is also excelling tremendously so far this season and the Irish youngster has registered more aerial duels won % than Branthwaite.
Everton’s interest in the talented defender is of no surprise given his stunning development and their lack of options in the role.
With Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane likely to depart Goodison Park as soon as January, Dyche will be desperate for centre-back options but also defenders of a similar age and profile to Branthwaite for future sustainability and more marketable opportunities in future.
In other Everton news, Peter Reid has issued a £1billion ‘Crime’ admission as he fumes over a recent Toffees development.