Crystal Palace are now set to reap the rewards of including a sell-on clause in Jake O’Brien’s move to Lyon in August 2023.
The Republic of Ireland international spent two years in the academy at Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace plucked him from Cork City in 2019, when he enjoyed loan spells at Swindon Town and RWD Molenbeek before moving to Lyon permanently in a £1m deal.
Now, Everton are close to signing Jake O’Brien in a €20m (£16.9m) move – which is set to land Crystal Palace millions…
Crystal Palace set to land Jake O’Brien windfall
A story from The Athletic now shares details about the Irishman’s move to Goodison Park.
Dougie Freedman, Director of Football at Selhurst Park, negotiated a 20% sell-on clause when O’Brien was sold to Lyon back in August 2023, which is now set to see £3.2m land in Crystal Palace’s bank balance.
The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical with Everton this weekend before signing a four-year contract with the Toffees.
O’Brien enjoyed a tremendous debut campaign at Lyon last season, scoring four goals in 27 Ligue 1 appearances as John Textor’s French giants finished sixth.
West Ham actually looked at signing O’Brien as a result of his fantastic season in France.
The 23-year-old even scored in the Coupe de France final as Lyon suffered a 2-1 defeat against PSG.
Furthermore, UEFA Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund expressed interest in O’Brien before Everton agreed a deal.
Fantastic business
Some Crystal Palace fans will surely complain that O’Brien could have been kept at Selhurst Park last summer, and gone straight into the team this season instead of spending £15m on Chadi Riad.
However, nobody can argue about the financial elements of this deal for the Eagles.
No news outlet seems to know exactly how much Crystal Palace spent to sign O’Brien from Cork City, although his status as a youth player at that time makes it likely that the fee was peanuts.
Transfermarkt seem to believe the deal cost Freedman just £21,141 to complete.
If the sum is close to that figure – or even if it was £100,000 – it means Crystal Palace have turned a very small investment into £4.2m, when you consider the initial £1m Lyon spent on the defender in addition to the £3.2m windfall now heading the way of SE25.
This is the kind of business that keeps Premier League clubs in the green when it comes to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) – and Freedman deserves huge credit for finding O’Brien in the first place.
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Hopefully, if these young talents do not make it at Selhurst Park, they can still earn Crystal Palace millions by impressing elsewhere, just like the Irishman has.
