Bristol City transfer miss may hurt after £16m Everton transfer agreement: View | OneFootball

It will go down as a deal the Robins will regret not getting over the line

Highlights

Jake O'Brien's high-value move back to the Premier League with Everton is a career landmark for the midfielder, but it may be a source of regret for one Championship side.

This time last year, Bristol City were linked with a move for the defender, but he instead moved to French outfit Lyon, where he excelled.

That caught the attention of the Toffees, prompting them to splash the cash to acquire his services.

It seems there could have been benefits on multiple fronts for the Robins if they had concluded the deal. Watching others win out in a move they came close to being involved with will likely burn for some time.

O'Brien shone in France

The 23-year-old had spent time in Crystal Palace's youth system but was coming towards the end of his contract there and needed regular game time.

Successful loan spells in League Two with Swindon Town and with Belgian side RWD Molenbeek put the Ireland international in the shop window, and the Robins were one of the interested parties last summer.

In the end, however - potentially with thanks to Lyon owner John Textor also holding a minority share in Palace - O'Brien would cross the channel and link up with the Ligue 1 side for a fee of around £1million.

Just 12 months later, with 32 appearances to his name, the defender would be journeying back to England to link up with Everton, this time in a deal reportedly worth £16.4million.

He would have been a quality addition for Bristol City

Having proven up to the task in France's top tier, being one of the side's most regular performers and also chipping in with five goals and two assists in all competitions, there is little doubt O'Brien would have taken the Championship by storm.

The Robins were already relatively strong at the back, conceding fewer goals than the five teams above them, including play-off contenders Norwich City. Having introduced someone of O'Brien's quality to the side, could they have prevented even more goals and picked up more points with his contributions at the other end? City fans will likely spend some time wondering.

The side were not a million miles from becoming play-off contenders, despite their 11th-placed finish. A sprinkle more quality across the squad, with players like O'Brien, may have been enough to seal the deal.

O'Brien would have made a strong impact off the pitch too

If his outings at the Groupama Stadium are anything to go by, O'Brien would not have been staying at Ashton Gate for long, especially considering how keenly Championship players have been watched by Premier League sides in recent years.

Having faced a whole host of elite players in one of Europe's top five leagues, the defender's accrued value is likely higher than it would have been after a season in England's second tier, but the Championship does hold its own against divisions on the continent, so the resulting difference in transfer fee this summer may only have been small.

Presuming City invested a similar amount to Lyon in O'Brien, they would likely now be standing to make an eight-figure profit over just 12 months. It has been an inspired bit of business by Lyon and, had it been the Robins, they'd be looking at a significant boost to their finances which could have been reinvested throughout the squad to pull them closer to those play-off spots.

Textor's connection with both clubs may mean the deal was never going to come off for City in the face of Lyon's interest, but that won't stop many at Ashton Gate from feeling frustrated that they struck gold but couldn't quite bring it home.