£17m Everton player once quit Crystal Palace for an astoundingly low fee

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Everton take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend, meaning Jake O’Brien will take on his former club.

Everton are back in action at Hill Dickinson Stadium once again, as David Moyes looks to get back on track.

The Toffees drew 1-1 with West Ham United on Monday night and really failed to kick on after Michael Keane’s opener.

Moyes leads Everton into another home game this weekend, as FA Cup winners Crystal Palace make their first trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium.

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Why Everton’s Jake O’Brien quit Crystal Palace

The Toffees will almost certainly have a former Palace man in the starting line-up, with Jake O’Brien primed to feature again.

O’Brien joined Everton from Lyon last summer, but his move to Merseyside came just a year after leaving Palace.

The Eagles saw potential in O’Brien as a youngster at Cork City and snapped him up in 2021 after a brief loan spell.

Palace loaned O’Brien to Swindon Town and partner club RWD Molenbeek, allowing him to gain experience away from Selhurst Park.

O’Brien returned in 2023 but was sold to Lyon, paving the way for his switch to Everton just a year later.

So why did O’Brien decide to leave Palace?

Well, The Athletic reported last summer that O’Brien wanted first-team football and knew it would not be on offer at Palace.

Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen were Palace’s first-choice pairing at the back, meaning O’Brien’s prospects were limited.

O’Brien even made it clear that he had ‘no intention’ of signing a new deal with Palace, and wasn’t keen on another loan move.

O’Brien jumped at the chance to join Lyon, and Palace sold him for a paltry sum of just £1million.

Lyon cashed in for around £17million when Everton came calling, and while Palace took a 20 per cent cut of that fee, O’Brien has gone on to make a mockery of that price tag.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
7	Manchester CityManchester City	6	3	1	2	14	6	8	10
8	ChelseaChelsea	6	2	2	2	11	8	3	8
9	EvertonEverton	6	2	2	2	7	6	1	8
10	BrightonBrighton	6	2	2	2	9	9	0	8
11	FulhamFulham	7	2	2	3	8	11	-3	8

Jake O’Brien’s position at Everton could change in 2026

O’Brien was undoubtedly signed as a centre-back, but he has predominantly played as a right-back under Moyes.

The Irishman has done a decent enough job there, but speedy wingers such as West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville have given him problems.

Everton looked at Kenny Tete over the summer and will surely target other right-backs during the January transfer window.

Moyes may want to add a more natural right-back option, and that could see O’Brien move back into the middle of the Everton defence.

James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Michael Keane will offer strong competition, but O’Brien’s long-term future surely lies at centre-back, rather than full-back.