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Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Jake O’Brien has taken an unorthodox route to the Premier League.

Everton’s new £17m signing has had a crack at the top flight before with Crystal Palace. O’Brien joined the Eagles from hometown club Cork City as a 17-year-old in 2021 but did not make a first team appearance and had loan spells at League Two Swindon and Belgian second tier side RWD. Molenbeek.

Then came his big opportunity.

After playing a pivotal role in helping Molenbeek win the second division title, French giants Lyon secured his services in August 2023 for around £1m.

One season later and he has returned to the Premier League for nearly 20 times that fee.

Initially, Lyon boss Laurent Blanc was unsure about O’Brien, saying: “Jake? He’s under evaluation” shortly after the Irishman’s arrival.

It turns out so was Blanc.

After a 4-1 defeat at home to Paris St-Germain in September, O’Brien was among the players given a dressing down by the club’s notorious ultras group Bad Gones, even though he was a substitute and yet to make his debut.

“The fans had the right to tell us what they were thinking,” was his mature assessment of an incident that could have intimidated a young, inexperienced player.

Blanc was soon dismissed and O’Brien given his chance by new manager Fabio Grosso with Lyon bottom of Ligue 1.

Soon after, they were on to their third manager of the season in Pierre Sage.

Cue the revival.

O’Brien started all but one Ligue 1 match after his debut – he was suspended for accruing too many yellow cards – and under Sage, Lyon ended up finishing sixth.

At 6ft 6in, he imposed himself physically and quickly earned the affectionate nickname ‘big Jake’ among fans and teammates . He possesses the pace to cover runners in behind and the ability to step out from defence and play line-breaking passes.

Remarkably, the four goals he scored placed him second behind Alexandre Lacazette in Lyon’s top scorers for the season. A rival target to James Tarkowski from Sean Dyche’s set pieces perhaps?

“Is it one of the great comeback stories? Definitely,” O’Brien said after Lyon secured unlikely European qualification on the final day of the Ligue 1 season. “It’s been a crazy, very emotional season.”

The scrutiny will only increase as he returns to England, particularly at the powder keg that is Everton.