Wolves defender Matt Doherty reacts to Everton message from Jake O’Brien
Jake O’Brien scored his first goal for Everton and promised there’s “more to come” from him yet, drawing a reaction from Wolves’ Matt Doherty.
The 23-year-old defender scored the equaliser for the Toffees in a 1-1 draw with Brentford on Wednesday evening (26 February).
January Arsenal target Yoane Wissa opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime for the Bees, heading home the rebound after Newcastle target Bryan Mbeumo hit the woodwork.
With the Toffees 1-0 down, and needing a spark of magic, Vitaliy Mykolenko swung in a cross, finding the Irishman for his first Premier League goal after a swift counter attack.
Despite gaining a point, Everton moved down two places to 16th, thanks to wins from Man United and West Ham.
O’Brien joined from Lyon for £20million in the summer, and has featured more regularly under David Moyes.
Jake O’Brien finding his feet at Everton after slow start
Following his move from Lyon, the Irish international was expected to immediately partner Liverpool target Jarrad Branthwaite, forming a rock-solid partnership at centre-back.
However, despite standing at 6ft6in, the former Crystal Palace defender has proven himself to be adept at right-back, allowing James Tarkowski to team-up with Branthwaite at the heart of Everton’s defence.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | O’Brien |
| Appearances | 10 |
| Starts | 7 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 3 |
| Minutes | 669 |
Following his equaliser, O’Brien posted a series of images of himself in action against Brentford on Instagram, captioned: “First Premier League goal & unbeaten in 7. More to come.”
Wolves defender and Ireland teammate, Doherty, showed his support for the young defender by liking the post.
Everton and Wolves nervously await big transfer bids in summer
Football Insider Verdict
For most football fans, the summer transfer window is a time of excitement and possibilities, with new signings giving reasons to be hopeful for the season to come.
However, Wolves and Everton are in a similar position, both looking over their shoulder at the looming relegation zone, and both with Europe’s heavyweights looking to snap up their best players.
Whilst relegation is unlikely for either side this season, that may not be the case come next year, if Matheus Cunha and Branthwaite leave their respective sides.
Both players have been monumental this season, with the Brazilian’s goals singlehandedly keeping Wolves alive this year, and both teams will struggle to replace their stars should they leave in the summer.