🇮🇪 Jake O'Brien enjoyed a great Ligue 1 debut season

Jake O'Brien enjoyed a great Ligue 1 debut season.

He was one of the very few bright sparks in what was a disastrous first half of the campaign for Lyon and continued to impress as Les Gones turned things around in 2024 to qualify for Europe via the league. Under various managers, O’Brien showed himself capable of playing on either side of the back line.

The former Cork City defender was incredibly passive in his approach, rarely ever engaging in duels but showing himself to be almost unbeatable when he was forced into action. His positional discipline was quite good both out of and in possession, though he also offered some progression through his carrying.

Thanks to his set-piece threat, O’Brien finished the season as his side’s second-top goal-scorer only behind Alexandre Lacazette. He will surely not be expected to repeat that trick next term, but it should be interesting to see how he fares overall in what Lyon hope will be a much more stable environment.

By Neel Shelat