Several EFL clubs are now eyeing up a move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien this month. The Reds have included the player back in training and he was on the bench against Arsenal last weekend.
Darren Witcoop of Reach PLC, however, believes clubs are forming an orderly queue to sign him. This comes after the Reds refused to loan him out to Sheffield United who have now signed Tom Davies instead.
O’Brien signed for Forest for £10 million from Huddersfield last summer. He made 14 appearances for the club and didn’t disappoint when he did get the opportunity to play.
The club signed Danilo and Jonjo Shelvey during the January transfer window and from there, things started to unravel for O’Brien. The 24-year-old was omitted from the 25-man Premier League squad and headed to D.C. United on loan.
The midfielder did alright in the United States. He made 19 appearances for the club, scoring a single goal and claiming an assist as he played under the influence of Wayne Rooney.
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Following the end of his loan, Forest decided to take him back. He’s now started to join in with training and could be on the bench once again for tomorrow night’s game against Sheffield United.
O’Brien does have a new squad number for this season. The number 14 that he wore last season has been given to Gustavo Scarpa, with the talented midfielder now taking number 32 instead.
Now, several EFL clubs are vying for his signature. It would seem as though the Reds are willing to backtrack on the claims earlier this summer, that they’d only consider selling him.
Clubs eye O’Brien but he could have Forest future
As long as Forest keep getting left frustrated in their efforts to sign new players, the better it suits O’Brien. For now, the Reds need him and he will hope to get on the pitch in the coming weeks.
Nobody has a point to prove more than O’Brien. It will have stung him to have been left out of the 25-man squad for the second half of last season and he will be desperate to prove Steve Cooper wrong.
O’Brien is a good character and you just know that he will be giving his all in every single training session. The player might well have other interest in his services but it seems unlikely that Forest will let him leave until they’ve finalised their own transfer plans.