Jake O'BrienImago

Here's why Jake O'Brien could assess Everton exit in January

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Published on:

15 Sep 2026, 3:10 pm

Jake O'Brien finds himself of the periphery of Everton's first team this season.

The Republic of Ireland international moved to Everton from Lyon in 2024 on a four-year deal.

O'Brien signed as a centre-back, but could not make a breakthrough under former manager Sean Dyche.

Under David Moyes, O'Brien has been used predominantly as a right-back, filling in there last season in lieu of a specialist option.

This term, O'Brien has largely taken a watching brief with Merlin Rohl and Ainsley Maitland-Niles playing right-back, and James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite the favoured centre-back pairing.

He did come off the bench in the 0-0 draw against Tottenham but once again at full-back, and a former Toffees player thinks there is a scenario where the 25-year-old looks to move on in January.

Jake O'Brien backed to seek Everton exit in January

O'Brien only ever felt like a makeshift option at full-back, and he clearly wants to play in the centre of defence.

Indeed, he was linked with a summer exit from Everton, with Crystal Palace linked with a £24million move for the defender.

An exit failed to come to fruition, and O'Brien has been a frustrated observer for much of the campaign thus far.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, former Everton defender Richard Dunne stated his belief Moyes views O'Brien as a fourth-choice centre-back behind his favoured duo and Michael Keane.

Dunne urged O'Brien to show patience to get a run in the team, but acknowledged that if he doesn't break in as a centre-back he could assess his options in January.

He said: "If that’s the road Jake wants to go down – he wants to be a centre-half, he wants to wait for his opportunities – then he just has to be patient. Again, it’s about getting a run of games.

“If he can get four or five games in that centre-half position and nail down a place next to Branthwaite or Tarkowski, then you can see the full potential of him, he needs games.

"It’s probably another thing he’ll assess come January, whether he thinks he’s getting closer to that starting eleven, or whether he thinks it’s time to move on.”

How Jake O'Brien feels to be an Everton player after transfer window controversy

Can Jake O'Brien afford to wait at Everton?

In the minds of Everton fans, O'Brien is likely a long-term successor to partner Branthwaite at centre-back.

The question for O'Brien is whether he can really continue to wait for an opportunity to make that spot his own.

One thing is for certain, he does not want to be a long-term right-back, and truthfully Everton should have addressed that problem long before he was needed to play there last term.

He failed to get a move away from the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the summer, and Everton's threadbare squad means they can't really allow anyone else to depart in January as things stand.

But at the same time, how much patience can O'Brien show? He's 25 now and at an age where he really wants to be playing week in and week out.

It would not be a huge shock if he were to push for the exit door this winter in all honesty.

Crystal Palace Football Club