Middlesbrough have signed Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien on a season-long loan deal.
The club’s Twitter site confirmed the news that the midfielder – who joined Premier League club Forest last season, along with Harry Toffolo in a deal worth £10m – will join Boro for the rest of the Championship campaign.
Middlesbrough fans will perhaps remember the midfielder from his days at Huddersfield Town, especially during the 2019/2020 campaign where he was named Huddersfield Town’s player of the Year.
He continued to impress and the during the 21/22 season, he helped Town to the Championship play-off final and impressed enough to earn himself a move to the Premier League, ironically with Nottingham Forest; the side who beat Huddersfield in the final.
At the time, Forest signed a lot of players and it was difficult for O’Brien to make his mark in such a big squad.
Championship experience
It is believed that there were plenty of suitors for the signature of O’Brien who has plenty of experience at this level. He is said to have had a number of options, but has chosen to join Michael Carrick and his charges.
In previous reports, Carrick admitted that he would like to see more faces through the door, despite seeing the club make nine permanent signings. Boro have now added to those with the signings of O’Brien and Leeds United’s Sam Greenwood on loan.
It is believed that Leeds United were chasing midfielder O’Brien this summer, but the fee required to take the Forest man on a permanent deal was too much to stump up. Leeds wanted to take him on a loan deal with the potential £10m fee being paid upon a return to the Premier League should they get promoted.
That deal has not materialised and now Boro have got their man. It could be a significant signing in the overall Championship landscape, with Boro needing to solidify their midfield area to compliment their current crop of youngsters.
They have shipped nine league goals in just four games and will be delighted to add a player to the squad who has made over 200 professional appearances, including a loan deal to US outfit DC United.