Four weeks on from transfer deadline day, today could prove to be decisive for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien.
The 24-year-old has been in limbo since the collapse of his January move to Blackburn Rovers. O'Brien had been due to join the Championship side on loan for the rest of the campaign, in a deal which would also include a purchase clause should promotion be achieved. However, an issue over the timing of the paperwork being filed before the window closed meant the switch was not approved by the English Football League.
An appeal was lodged by Rovers, and the case has since been moved to an independent arbitrator. A hearing is scheduled to take place today, which could bring a close to this particular transfer saga, one way or another.
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O'Brien does have interest from MLS clubs; their transfer window runs until April 24, although the season started last weekend. As the summer signing awaits news of his future, here is a round-up of the situation.
Blackburn's bill
Blackburn Rovers are reportedly 'running up a huge bill' as they bid to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien.
The 24-year-old had been due to join the Championship side on loan for the rest of the campaign, and the deal would include a purchase clause if promotion was achieved. However, there was an issue with the timing of the paperwork being completed before the January transfer window closed.
O'Brien stayed at the City Ground and Rovers are now "using a top legal team and consulting a KC" as they bid to win an "independent panel verdict" against the EFL's decision not to ratify the deal, according to journalist Alan Nixon. The estimated cost is said to be around £100,000.
Rovers statement
Blackburn Rovers say the “legal process” in their bid to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien remains ongoing.
The 24-year-old had been due to join the Championship side on loan for the rest of the season, in a deal which would also include a purchase clause should promotion be achieved. However, an issue over the timing of the paperwork being filed before the January transfer deadline meant the switch was not approved by the English Football League.
Rovers submitted an appeal and the case has now been moved to an independent arbitrator. O’Brien, meanwhile, remains in limbo, although he does have interest from a number of MLS clubs.
MLS interest
Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien is at the centre of a three-way tug of war between MLS clubs.
That is according to the Sun, who claim New York City, Columbus Crew and Atlanta United are all keen on the Forest midfielder, who was left out of the club's 25-man squad for the rest of the season. O'Brien was set to join Blackburn Rovers on loan on deadline day last month but their attempts to sign him were blocked after some paperwork was filed after the 11pm cut-off.
Rovers remain in "dialogue" with the EFL over their attempts to sign O'Brien and the league have now responded to the appeal, asking for more information, and the parties are now in talks over the situation. They are said to be looking for a solution.
Appeal process
Blackburn had until 4pm on Tuesday, February 7 to submit their appeal to the EFL in a bid to overturn their initial decision on O’Brien. The appeal went directly to the EFL board. Here is a look at the appeal process.
Decision to be made
There is no specific timescale on when an outcome will be reached, with the EFL working on a case by case basis. Nevertheless, a decision could be made this week, to give clarity to everyone involved.
The EFL’s government team, who deal with transfers day to day, dealt with the matter initially. But the appeal case will be escalated above them, leaving it to the board to decide, which means a completely different group of representatives will have their say.
Alternative option
Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien could still be saved from his City Ground exile with a potential move to the United States on the cards ahead of the start of the 2023 MLS campaign.
The 24-year-old joined Forest in the summer after his Huddersfield Town side were beaten in the Championship play-off final by Steve Cooper's men, only to see game time limited with the Englishman starting just six Premier League matches.
Moreover, with O'Brien one of 30 new arrivals since Forest's promotion, squad competition is strong with the midfielder a victim of that after being left out of the Reds' Premier League squad for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign with his most recent appearance for the club coming in their 3-0 home defeat against Manchester United in the League Cup.
Blackburn figure speaks
Blackburn Rovers director of football Gregg Broughton has taken responsibility for the failure to get Lewis O'Brien's loan move from Nottingham Forest over the line.
O'Brien was set to join Rovers on deadline day after a loan deal with a £10m option to buy the player upon a potential promotion was agreed between the two clubs. But the transfer deadline day saga has ended in a nightmare for Rovers, who thought they had beaten Sheffield United and West Brom to the signing of the Forest ace.
In order for a deal to go through, the relevant paperwork must be submitted by the 11pm deadline, which the EFL did not approve. Speaking to Rovers' media channel, Broughton laid out a detailed timeline of the night's events, before then admitting the fault ultimately lies with him.
Steve Cooper hits out
Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper says questions need to be asked of how midfielder Lewis O’Brien has been left in limbo after his failed move to Blackburn Rovers.
O’Brien was set to join the Championship side on loan for the rest of the season, in a deal which would also include a purchase clause should promotion be achieved. However, the move collapsed due to an issue over the timing of the paperwork being filed before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.
It meant the switch was not approved by the English Football League, although Rovers are appealing the decision. Meanwhile, O’Brien has been left out of the Reds’ 25-man Premier League squad for the second half of the campaign, leaving him to face an uncertain future. If Blackburn fail in their appeal, the 24-year-old would have to join a club in a country whose transfer window remains open, if he wants game time in the coming months.
Forest squad omission
The Premier League have confirmed Nottingham Forest's 25-man squad for the remainder of the season.
Forest had to submit their squad to the league by 3pm this afternoon (Thursday), and there were questions over whether Lewis O'Brien would be included after his loan move to Blackburn Rovers fell through on deadline day.
It has now been confirmed that O'Brien misses out for Forest, who have filled all 25 of their spaces. Danilo and Brennan Johnson do not need to be registered, as they classify as under-21 players having been born after January 1, 2001. Summer signing Brandon Aguilera also falls into that category.
EFL block move
Lewis O'Brien's loan move from Nottingham Forest to Blackburn Rovers has reportedly collapsed.
The clubs had agreed a season-long loan deal for O'Brien, with a £10million buy clause that would have been activated if Blackburn were to get promoted to the Premier League this season.
However, our colleagues at LancsLive report the deal is now off. There was an issue over the timing of the paperwork filed late on transfer deadline day. So as things stand, O'Brien will be staying put at the City Ground until the summer.
Should O'Brien have been in Forest's 25-man squad? Have your say in the comments below
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