Everton have been on a remarkable spending spree this summer, but it is worth noting that the bulk of their buys remain covered by what they have sold.
After all, from the sales of Amadou Onana, Ben Godfrey and Lewis Dobbin, the club amassed approximately £70m.
So, to have brought in Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison on loan, and spent around £25m for Iliman Ndiaye and Tim Iroegbunam, Kevin Thelwell still has plenty of funds to work with.
However, another large chunk is set to depart Goodison Park now, and in return, a truly top prospect will join Sean Dyche’s contingent.
Everton are set to sign Jake O’Brien
Although it was pretty much a dead certainly that Jake O’Brien will join Everton, this latest report from CaughtOffside has sought to confirm that.
They claim: ‘Everton have reached an agreement to sign Lyon’s 23-year-old Republic of Ireland defender Jake O’Brien for around €24-25million (£21m), sources have confirmed to CaughtOffside.
‘The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical with Everton today before signing a four-year contract with the Toffees.
‘Should Everton part ways with O’Brien in the future, Lyon would receive 10 % of the transfer fee.
‘Everton eventually fended off competition from Wolverhampton and Brentford to secure the services of O’Brien.
‘The Ligue 1 side are in for a hefty return on investment after signing the 23-year-old last summer from Crystal Palace for €1m.’
It has already been noted that Lyon are now preparing for his exit too, just to reaffirm his imminent exit.
How good could Jake O’Brien be for Everton?
To truly understand how good O’Brien could be for Everton, it is worth merely listening to what Ben Garner, his former boss at Swindon, has to say about him.
He told Sky Sports: ‘We were looking for a centre-half that would give us that aerial presence in both boxes, particularly off set plays… But we also need him to fit with our style of play, so it had to be someone who could pass, that would be comfortable on the ball and build attacks.
‘Jake’s got those attributes. He came in brave as a lion with the ball. Quick, good athleticism for his size, obviously good in the air with his frame. And a really humble, determined lad.’
Standing at 6 foot 6, but with enough pace and grace to succeed in and out of possession, he promises to be yet another huge aerial threat from set pieces who will also quite gladly expel any danger from his area with ease.
Finally snagging that much-needed quality third-choice centre-back, O’Brien could provide a replacement or an alternative for either Jarrad Branthwaite or James Tarkowski, and at just 23 years old, still has so much to learn.
These are exciting times for Everton.
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