Leeds United they have just over two weeks left in the January transfer window to make any additions they would like to make before the February deadline.
White is currently on top Priority and are one point ahead of Sheffield United and Burnley in the race for the League Two title.
They could use the transfer window to strengthen their squad, with one of their reported targets, Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien, set to be available.
Leeds have reportedly made enquiries about the January contract for the English midfielder and that it was recently requested that Tricky Trees now want to move him after MLS side LAFC decided not to pay £5m to make his loan move permanent.
Lewis O’Brien’s form for LAFC
The 26-year-old midfielder spent the second half of the 2024 MLS season there on loan and has attracted attention with his energetic performances in the middle of the park.
O’Brien, who was described as “very special” former Huddersfield manager Carlos Corberan, started all 13 of his MLS appearances and showed his reliability and creativity on the ball, creating 1.8 chances per game and completing 88% of his pass attempts.
The left-footed ace also succeeded 3.3 Tackles and interceptions and 5.6 rebounds per game, showing that he has combined his quality in possession with a combative and strong ball game to help his team defensively.
While another midfielder may not make immediate sense for Leeds, with Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell already signed, O’Brien could come in as Daniel FarkeOwn version of Stuart Dallas, who was an important player for Marcelo Bielsa.
Why Lewis O’Brien could be Stuart Dallas 2.0
Dallas, who retired last year, carved out an illustrious career at Elland Road thanks to his ability to play in a range of positions on the pitch for the Whites.
Northern Ireland representative collected 267 appearances in all competitions for the club and did not play more than 97 times in any position during that time, appearing at left-back, central midfielder, defensive midfielder, left-back and right-back.
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The versatility of Lewis O’Brien |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Appearances |
|
Central midfield |
119 |
|
Attacking midfield |
42 |
|
Defensive midfielder |
37 |
|
Left midfielder |
13 |
|
Right midfielder |
10 |
|
Left back |
8 |
|
Left outer |
4 |
|
Centarfor |
1 |
As you can see in the table above, O’Brien would offer a similar level of versatility to Farke at Elland Road in the second half of the season and beyond, as he can also play at left-back or in midfield – like Dallas – as well as a host of other roles .
Dallas made 3.1 Knockdowns and interceptions per game and provided three assists in 45 games in the 2019/20 title-winning campaign, with the Forest outcast averaging 3.0 tackles and interceptions and provided three assists in 43 games during his final full season in the division with Huddersfield in 2022/23.
Connected
Overall, whether on loan or a permanent deal, O’Brien could come in as a very useful player who could be called upon in many different positions to use his quality on and off the ball to help Leeds progress towards the Premier League this season , as Farke’s own version of Stuart Dallas.
