Swansea City will hope for Huddersfield Town repeat and not Middlesbrough re-run with transfer | OneFootball

Swansea City will hope that Lewis O'Brien is able to replicate his Huddersfield Town form during his loan spell

Despite a poor January transfer window, Swansea City look to have pulled off a coup with the loan signing of Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien.

The 26-year-old has endured a tough time at the City Ground since joining Forest from Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2022, and has almost become something of a forgotten man in English football thanks to a number of MLS loan spells.

Just a couple of seasons ago, O'Brien was one of the Championship's hottest properties, and it was no surprise to see him seal a move to the Premier League after narrowly missing out on promotion with Huddersfield, and he'll be looking to prove a point with the Swans in the coming months.

However, while O'Brien's signing appears to be a coup for Swansea, Luke Williams will be hoping that they've signed the Huddersfield version of the midfielder rather than the Middlesbrough version after spending some time on loan at the Riverside Stadium last season, where he didn't set the world alight.

Swansea City will hope for Lewis O'Brien Huddersfield Town repeat

O'Brien made 131 appearances in total for Huddersfield after working his way through the ranks at the John Smith's Stadium, and he became a key player for the Terriers, particularly during the 2021/22 campaign.

Against all the odds, Huddersfield Town made it to the Championship play-off final in 2022 and O'Brien played a key role in helping Carlos Corberan's side to Wembley, playing 50 times in all competitions that season, scoring three goals and registering three assists.

O'Brien was also trusted by Corberan to wear the captain's armband on a number of occasions, and his form in his last season at the John Smith's Stadium meant it was no surprise to see him seal a move to the Premier League.

However, with things not going to plan for him at the City Ground, he was allowed to join Boro on loan last season, and while he was a decent addition to Michael Carrick's side, he was unable to hit the same heights he did at Huddersfield.

Of course, injury was a key reason why he failed to replicate his Huddersfield form, but he didn't quite do enough to warrant a permanent move, and O'Brien will be looking to show what he can do at Championship level yet again.

If O'Brien is able to get anywhere near his Huddersfield form during his short-term loan at Swansea, then it would be a real coup for Williams' side, and they'll have one of the best midfielders in the division, so everybody at the club will be hoping they can get the best out of the 26-year-old.

The early signs are positive for Lewis O'Brien at Swansea City

O'Brien made his Swansea debut in their 1-0 win away to Bristol City on the weekend, and if that display is anything to go by, then it won't be long until he's a crowd favourite at the Swansea.com Stadium.

The 26-year-old was keen to stress that he's not a like-for-like replacement for former club captain Matt Grimes who joined Coventry City, and while Swansea missed Grimes' calming influence in the opening stages of the game, O'Brien soon found his stride.

The Nottingham Forest loanee played the entire game and should have registered an assist when he found Jisung Eom with a cross, but the South Korean international's effort was straight at Max O'Leary in the Bristol City goal.

It's clear that O'Brien and Grimes are very different players, but the former Huddersfield man showed what he was capable of in the second half and did a good job of taking Swansea up the pitch and into dangerous positions, as well as making a number of important blocks.

It was a committed debut performance which has helped to win over the Jack Army already, and if he keeps that up, then it won't be long until he'll receive the same plaudits as he did during his last season with Huddersfield.

On early evidence, O'Brien looks to be an excellent signing for Swansea, and he could make all the difference in helping Williams' side regain the form they showed prior to January.