Jake O'Brien Faces Key Week as Everton Considers £20m Transfer

With the window ticking into its final days, Jake O'Brien has suddenly gone from Everton cornerstone to one of the most intriguing names on the market.

Twelve months ago, the Cork defender looked nailed on as part of the club’s long-term plan after a strong campaign at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. He played a key role, but not quite in the way he imagined. Used almost exclusively at right back, he watched David Moyes lean repeatedly on James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite in the centre of defence.

That’s the crux of it now. O'Brien wants to play as a centre back. Regularly. At 24, squad versatility is no longer enough of a selling point for him.

Inside Everton, there is an acceptance of that tension. Both club and player are understood to be open to a move before the deadline, provided the conditions are right and the Toffees protect themselves in the market.

Leeds, Palace and a Premier League pull

Interest has arrived on cue.

O'Brien is attracting attention from both English and European clubs, but a Premier League move is seen as the most realistic outcome given the fee and wages involved. Football Insider report that Leeds United have joined the chase, while Crystal Palace are also keen on bringing him back for a second spell.

There is a catch. Everton are only prepared to seriously entertain a sale if they can land a right back of their own before the window shuts.

That stance underlines how important O'Brien became in an unfamiliar role. He was Everton’s first-choice right back last season and performed impressively there, even if it was never his preferred position. With Seamus Coleman departing in the summer, the club have already been light on natural cover on that flank.

At the weekend, Merlin Rohl started at right back in the win over Crystal Palace, another player operating out of position. Letting O'Brien go now, without a replacement through the door, would leave Moyes exposed both wide and centrally.

Everton’s defensive numbers tell the story. Lose O'Brien and they are down to just three senior centre backs in the squad, a risky hand to play across a full campaign.

Sunderland circle as O'Brien weighs his options

Leeds and Palace are not alone. Sunderland have also been linked, adding another viable route out of Merseyside if Everton give the green light.

From the player’s perspective, the situation is clear enough. Minutes at centre back will be hard to come by if Tarkowski and Branthwaite remain the preferred pairing. At the same time, Everton are actively looking to recruit in the very position where he has been starting, right back. That combination hardly screams security.

A fee in the region of £20 million is thought to be enough to tempt Everton into a sale. The club, though, are intent on strengthening before they sanction any departure, wary of weakening a defence that already looks thin.

So the clock runs down, the phone lines stay open, and Jake O'Brien waits. In a week’s time, is he still Everton’s makeshift full back, or a freshly installed centre half somewhere else, finally playing where he believes he belongs?