Everton has thrown down the gauntlet to West Ham, placing a £25 million proposal on the table for a player they both want. Premier League rivals West Ham and Everton are playing cat and mouse. It appears Everton has made the first decisive move. And it puts West Ham in an extremely difficult position. Both the Hammers and the Toffees are looking for a centre defender, as well as a new attacker.
This has put West Ham technical director Tim Steidten and Everton manager Sean Dyche on a collision track over multiple deals. West Ham and Everton have expressed mutual interest in a number of players. Both clubs were apparently battling for Jaden Philogene, with neither expected to win that specific contest. Hammers and Toffees play transfer market chess. West Ham have attempted to derail Everton’s bid for Cameroon international defender Jackson Tchatchoua. Lyon’s Irish centre-back Jake O’Brien, however, has emerged as a prominent target for both the Hammers and Everton. The Toffees have just sold Ben Godfrey to Atalanta for £10 million.
West Ham have signed Max Kilman for £40 million, but they are looking for a new partner for the former Wolves captain in Julen Lopetegui’s new-look defence. Lopetegui was dealt a blow when it was revealed that Everton feel O’Brien wants to join them over the Hammers. Lyon must sell a lot of players to obtain approximately £80 million for financial reasons. West Ham’s main defensive targets are diminishing. Ipswich have signed Hull’s Jacob Greaves, while a bid for Jean-Clair Todibo has fallen through.
Everton have now thrown down the challenge to West Ham, offering £20 million for star O’Brien. Everton bid £20 million for West Ham target O’Brien. According to Ferveur Lyonnaise, West Ham are still interested in signing 23-year-old former Palace player O’Brien. However, Everton has made the first official approach, bidding roughly £20 million to Lyon.
The good news for West Ham is that Lyon are likely to reject Everton’s offer. The bad news is that the French team is reportedly seeking £30 million for O’Brien’s services. “The Irish international is on the radar of several teams, particularly in England, and OL could quite simply hit the jackpot in the event of a transfer,” reports say. “If Everton remains on the ball and appears to be in a strong position today, West Ham United and, more lately, Nottingham Forest are keeping an eye on the situation.
“As reported this Sunday evening, Everton is preparing an offer of around 23.65 million euros (£20m) to convince OL, but the Rhone club is said to have set a high price, namely nearly 35.5 million euros (£30m) to let O’Brien leave.” How will West Ham respond to Everton’s move? It will be interesting to see what West Ham does now. Everton, who are reportedly convinced that O’Brien prefers them than the Hammers, made their intentions obvious with their initial move. The Hammers must now decide whether to pursue O’Brien or increase their efforts to sign Todibo.
Alternatively, you could pursue a completely different goal. Everton will be heartened by the fact that West Ham are currently looking to sign a striker following the Kilman deal. The club is also rumored to be looking to sell players like Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd in order to acquire more revenue. However, West Ham and Lyon have well-established contact channels. In recent seasons, the two clubs have completed transfers worth approximately £70 million for Lucas Paqueta and Said Benrahma.
