Everton now eye January transfer swoop for 6 foot 6 giant who’s a record-breaker

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Everton are believed to hold an interest in signing Lyon defender Jake O’Brien in January after his impressive season.

Everton are believed to be keen on strengthening in the January window following their 10-point deduction which has left them in the relegation spots.

The player they want, according to FootMercato is Jake O’Brien, the Irishman currently impressing in France.

Everton is said to have already observed him however it is unknown how difficult a deal will be to do given how keen Everton will be on remaining within budget.

He has been very impressive already this season in a new league too after his transfer from Crystal Palace last summer. The 22-year-old would be a picture-perfect match for Jarrad Branthwaite at Goodison Park.

But who is he?

Who is Lyon’s Jake O’Brien?

O’Brien is a 22-year-old Irishman currently playing a key role in Lyon’s revival in Ligue 1 this season.

He stands at a whopping 6 foot 6 inches, which would make him the taller in a pairing with the already huge Branthwaite.

O’Brien for that reason is the ideal Sean Dyche centre-half, given how dominant he is.

The Irishman has won 77% of his aerial duels in League 1 this season according to SofaScore, which is higher than James Tarkowski who has a 68% win rate.

The price for O’Brien probably wouldn’t be substantial but Lyon would no doubt be very keen on making quite a bit of profit on the £1m fee they paid

Jake O’Brien is a record breaker

O’Brien moving to Lyon showed he isn’t afraid to take risks and in doing so broke a 23-year record.

In October upon playing for Lyon, O’Brien became the first Irish player in nearly a quarter of a century to play in France’s top flight.

The previous man to do it was Tony Cascarino who played his final game for Nancy while facing Auxerre in May 2000.

Therefore, if Everton were to sign O’Brien they would be signing a player who has proved himself in Europe and a player who’d perfectly suit what Dyche wants from his defenders.