The Championship division is a great option to sniff out potential talent, for a cheap price. Although many turn their noses up, success stories can be found all over the Premier League (see Andy Robertson, John Stones, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen, etc). After yesterday’s play-off final, many players showed their quality, passion, and desire to enter the Premier League. Despite an array of brilliant Nottingham Forest players, one in a blue and white jersey made a fantastic impact on his team. Lewis O’Brien of Huddersfield is a 23-year-old midfielder, who may be a very clever transfer to make.
Born in Colchester, O’Brien joined the Yorkshire-based team as an 11-year-old. Whilst progressing through the academy, he was loaned to Bradford City in the 2018/19 season. He played 46 games across three competitions for the then-League One side, contributing 4 goals and 3 assists. The season with the Bantams accelerated his career and O’Brien found himself an important member of Terrier’s first team. A left-footed midfielder, with the ability to play both centrally and out wide, Huddersfield describe him as a ‘hardworking youngster‘ who is ‘creative on the ball and doesn’t shy away from a tackle‘. I believe that in a higher-quality team, and working alongside a world-class midfielder in Declan Rice, O’Brien could prove a solid signing for West Ham. He would also provide a great backup choice for Tomas Soucek, who has shown this season that he needs to be rested every few games.
O’Brien is now a much-loved individual at Huddersfield, having won the Huddersfield Town Academy Player of the Year award for two successive seasons. He has been an influential figure for the Terriers; being assigned the vice-captain role due to his leadership ability and driving them on to the Championship Play-Off Finals.
The Essex-born player is, however, a wanted man this summer, and Huddersfield may want to cash in to enhance their team for the coming season. Leeds, Crystal Palace, Wolves, and West Ham have all been reported to have shown interest in the midfielder. Equally, due to the loss they suffered yesterday, O’Brien may be available for a very good price. Leeds almost pushed a deal through last season for around £10million, but could not get terms agreed upon.
TEAMtalk understands that West Ham are in the race to sign Lewis O'Brien, who has long been a player of interest to Leeds.
— James Marshment (@marshyleeds) February 16, 2022
Huddersfield midfielder has a release clause in his deal, which is believed to be set at £12m.
Personally, this is a deal I would like to see David Moyes push through. Although not the ‘marquee’ signing most may want, O’Brien guarantees hard work, leadership, and the ability to both defend and attack. A resemblance to Declan Rice has struck me through researching O’Brien. Though of course not Rice’s quality, O’Brien is a player that has very similar attributes to Rice. Again, inserting him into a team with continental quality will only see him improve further. For a mere £12million, I believe this is well worth the jump. His high status is shown through the number of clubs that want his signature this season – West Ham has to be one of them.