One of the more unusual traditions of English football is the initiation song. All signings immediately after arriving at the club must be sung in front of all new teammates.
This is meant to be an embarrassing few minutes for anyone holding the mic. This is how you break the ice and introduce yourself to the dressing room.
For Louis O’Brien, such moments proved more of an opportunity than a challenge. His performances for Stevie Wonder’s Superstition at his three clubs of Bradford City, Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest were so good that he has a career in entertainment coming back. Some speculate that it is.
Whatever initiation he may have to go through with his new club, DC United (if there is one), his most impressive performances for all three clubs have been where he matters most: the pitch. done on
The circumstances that led to O’Brien playing in the MLS are certainly extraordinary, but there is no question that the league inherited a young player with all the attributes to become one of the best players in the league. .
When Forest completed a £10m ($12.3m) joint deal to acquire O’Brien and defender Harry Toffolo from Huddersfield in July 2022, it was seen as a smart job. Several other clubs, including Leeds United, were monitoring O’Brien’s progress.
It took just two games for one of Nottingham Forest’s teammates, Moussa Niakhate, to compare O’Brien to former England and Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere in an Instagram post. In his second appearance (a 1-0 win over West Ham United at the City Ground), O’Brien delivered a man-of-the-match performance, giving head coach Steve Cooper the dynamic Made me predict that I could get more out of the ball.career.
Louis O’Brien will challenge Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek in the Premier League in December 2022 (Photo: Stu Forster via Getty Images)
The 24-year-old O’Brien excelled in the Championship at Huddersfield Town last season and his performances saw him considered one of the brightest talents in England’s Second Division. Cooper was a fan of O’Brien, as Huddersfield won the championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium with Forest beating him 1–0 to earn promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.
Forest’s longtime midfielder Ryan Yates encouraged his head coach to sign O’Brien. Forest wanted a midfield player who could run with the ball and transition quickly from defense to attack. From Staggart he acquired O’Brien for £12m and Orell of his Mangala, the club’s recruiting team felt they got just that.
“Lewis is a great ball carrier, has a great engine, is technically good. He’s also tactically good,” Cooper said after O’Brien’s arrival. “Lewis is driven to do well. I had a good conversation with him about it and it’s important to us.
“We can get a lot more out of him. It’s the exciting bit. I’ve had positive conversations with (Ryan) Yatesy about him. There’s a real mutual respect between them.”
O’Brien and the rest of the Forest team have been strengthened with the addition of 22 players in the 2022 summer transfer window, but tied with the same goals. in world football.
Many believe that O’Brien was unlucky not to get another chance to do just that.
All six of O’Brien’s Premier League starts saw him fall ill by mid-October, robbing the midfielder of much.
His stats show O’Brien’s qualities as a high-energy, versatile midfielder when compared to other players in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year. His average of 3.24 shot-making actions per 90 minutes placed him in the 80th percentile among his peers, with a progressive of 2.00. located. His 2.0 blocks per game on him sits in the 97th percentile, indicating that he is still useful away from possession.
During his loan spell at Bradford in 2018/19, O’Brien made 38 starts in the Premier League, scoring four goals in two appearances as a substitute. Impressively, Bradford had four of his managers at the time. Four days after O’Brien signed, Michael Collins left before David Hopkin, Martin Drury and Gary Bowyer took charge.
“His demeanor had a really positive impact on the team. athletic.
“He was very good at being in the right position. He would break the line and get into dangerous areas. He was always on the move. He could hit the ball really, really well. He was a smart and intelligent player.
“His death was very clean and smooth. Never had a bobble. Never worried about taking the ball from him. He had a little bit of everything.
Luis O’Brien will challenge Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva in the Premier League in August 2022 (Photo: Michael Regan via Getty Images)
Tommy Elphick, who played alongside O’Brien at Huddersfield, believes his character is a great asset.
“Lewis is an old story when it comes to what he stands for, his morals—the way he does his job,” Elphick said. “Lewis would do the work of two men. Give yourself a chance.”
The fact that O’Brien’s transfer has been granted is a reflection of the business Forest has done in the January transfer window, with the Premier League experience of Newcastle United’s Jonjo Shelvey and Palmeiras’ Gustavo Scarpa and Danilo duo. added a talented Brazilian. He remained a respected figure among his teammates.
However, O’Brien found himself further down the pecking order and Forest approved a loan move to Blackburn Rovers. Championship his club was minutes late in turning in important paperwork on the deadline day, and after a lengthy appeal, the move was finally blocked, much to the anger of Forrest and dismay of O’Brien.
He was not included in Forest’s 25-man Premier League squad.
“That young man was totally disappointed, and so are we. We agreed to let Lewis play somewhere else, but we weren’t 100% in favor of where he was and what he was doing. I can understand why he wanted to,” Cooper said at the time. “[O’Brien]had a lot of offers. We decided to allow him to go out on loan because it felt like it was the right thing to do.
“He wanted to play football. There is
These options amounted to a move to Saudi Arabia or MLS, as he was not allowed to move to another UEFA club outside the transfer window. is under Wayne Rooney.
DC United have the option to make the transfer permanent, but this is a requirement for any MLS club to accept the player on loan and is seen as an unlikely prospect by Forest.
In the meantime, O’Brien remains a young man who can make a big splash in MLS, whether he needs to sing or not.
(Pictured above: Louis O’Brien scoring for Forest against Fulham in the Premier League in September 2022; Mark Atkins via Getty Images)
