Everton are not trundling but charging into the final stretch of the season, not threatened by relegation but thriving under David Moyes.
Last weekend’s stunning result over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground ended a six-match run without win in the Premier League, though a narrow defeat to Liverpool at Anfield was the only loss in that timeframe.
Oh, The Friedkin Group will already be looking ahead to the summer transfer window and to next season, and Moyes will too, but the Scottish manager’s focus will remain on the current campaign as he further shapes his understanding of the tools at his disposal.
19/04/25
Goodison Park
Manchester City
26/04/25
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea
03/05/25
Goodison Park
Ipswich Town
10/05/25
Craven Cottage
Fulham
18/05/25
Goodison Park
Southampton
25/05/25
St. James’ Park
Newcastle United
Change is afoot for the Toffees, and it’s not just the scenery that will be restyled. However, there are some players who are proving their worth, proving they can be key features over the coming years.
Jake O’Brien is very much one of them.
Jake O'Brien's emergence
Last season, O’Brien was called a “revelation in defence” for Lyon in Ligue 1 by European football expert Zach Lowy, but few of an Everton persuasion were revelling in his signing before Sean Dyche received the boot.
Indeed, the 6 foot 6 defender stood on the sidelines for the majority of his time on Merseyside before Moyes saw his worth and fashioned him into a makeshift wide man.
Now, he’s undroppable, very much starting to look like something of a revelation in the Premier League as he helps Everton toward their mid-table resurgence.
Since continuing his dreary role as a bit-parter on Moyes’ (second) Everton debut against Aston Villa, a narrow defeat at Goodison Park, O’Brien has started invariably at right-back, something that seemed patchwork at the start but has become an increasingly comfortable and, in the best way, unnoticeable journey.
Well, largely unnoticeable, with the Irishman actually chipping in with two important goals during recent draws against Brentford and West Ham United.
The 23-year-old’s emergence has come at a cost to another, however, with Ashley Young’s services rendered… not useless, but certainly not worth renewing his current contract as he heads toward his 40th birthday.
Everton veteran is now finished
Young has been a stout presence at Goodison Park over the past few years, signing on as Dyche’s first arrival in July 2023 after his contract with Aston Villa expired.
However, the 39-year-old, who has entered the final few months of his current deal, has waned since Christmas, last starting in the Premier League during the home loss to Villa in January, a game that saw him make a direct error, cede possession 18 times despite only making one key pass and also win just one of three duels.
It’s safe to say he is not the “machine” that Antonio Conte once described him as during his stint at Inter.
The £40k-per-week veteran may not have any plans to retire just yet, but Everton run the risk of stagnating, should they not recognise the need to part ways with such ageing players at this reshaping moment. Especially, in Young’s case, since O’Brien has been in such fine form.
O’Brien excels in doing the basics well, yet to make a mistake in the Premier League while winning 54% of his duels and averaging 4.5 clearances per game, as per Sofascore.
These almost pragmatic patterns of play, carried with a central defender’s air but nuanced enough to bring his own brand to the full-back berth, suggest that Moyes may yet stick with his Irish star across the upcoming campaign, especially with Nathan Patterson there to provide support.
For Young, a somewhat sad ending given he has fallen into the darkness of the sidelines since Moyes’ return to the club, but it’s understandable that he should part ways at this watershed moment in Everton’s history.
Bramley Moore brings with it a new dawn, and O’Brien is proving himself worthy of a star spot.
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