Everton open to Jake O’Brien sale as club plans further recruitment

Everton are ready to listen to offers for Irish defender Jake O’Brien, The Athletic reports.

The Toffees would rather keep him at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but manager David Moyes’ inability to assure him of regular playing time in his preferred position has made the situation untenable.

Everton are now ready to cash in and are hoping to receive offers before the transfer deadline.

The Irishman spent much of last season playing at right-back, despite being more comfortable in central defence. He’s now ready to leave Everton if it allows him to play in his preferred role.

O’Brien was an unused substitute during Everton’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in their 2026/27 Premier League curtain-raiser on Saturday.

Everton captain James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite started at centre-back, while Merlin Rohl was deployed on the right side of defence.

Interestingly, O’Brien is already attracting interest from clubs in England, Italy, and France.

However, Everton must carefully consider their options before allowing O’Brien to leave, as selling him would leave Moyes with only three senior centre-backs.

The Irishman was once seen as an important part of Everton’s backline alongside Jarrad Branthwaite.

He made 37 Premier League appearances last season, although only five came at centre-back. His ability to fill in at right-back made him useful to Moyes but also exposed some of his limitations.

With Tarkowski now wearing the captain’s armband and Branthwaite competing for a regular starting place, O’Brien will struggle to get minutes at centre-back.

O’Brien joined Everton from Olympique Lyon in 2024 in a £17 million deal and still has plenty of time to develop. However, his future is increasingly becoming a hot topic with deadline day on the horizon.

Everton are also looking for a new right-back and have shown interest in Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz and Fulham’s Timothy Castagne.

They are expecting potential offers for striker Beto, while Ilimian Ndiaye is attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and forward Liam Delap is admired by Moyes and his staff.