LAFC Acquires Midfielder Lewis O’Brien on Loan from Nottingham Forest

July 30, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Los Angeles FC News Release

Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) today announced that the club has acquired midfielder Lewis O’Brien on loan from Nottingham Forest of the English Premier League through 2024 with a club option to purchase. O’Brien will occupy an International Roster Slot and will be added to the roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P1 Visa. LAFC acquired O’Brien’s Right of First Refusal from D.C. United in exchange for $50,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM).

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Lewis to Los Angeles,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said. “He is a dynamic, versatile midfielder with qualities we know will complement an already strong group of midfielders and will help in our pursuit of trophies. I would also like to thank Nottingham Forest and his representative, Kevin Sharp, for their professionalism throughout the process.”

O’Brien, 25, joins LAFC after playing 23 games (18 starts) on loan with Middlesbrough in the English Championship in 2023-24, recording one assist in 1,576 minutes.

The Colchester, England, native appeared in 17 games (17 starts) on loan for D.C. United from April to July 2023, registering one goal and one assist in 1,515 minutes while establishing himself as a key player in the midfield for United.

O’Brien originally signed with Nottingham on July 20, 2022, from Championship club Huddersfield Town, where he was named the Academy Player of the Year in 2017-18. O’Brien made his Nottingham Forest debut on Aug. 6, 2022, and scored his first EPL goal Sept. 16, 2022, vs. Fulham FC. O’Brien has made a total of 17 appearances across all competitions for Nottingham Forest.

The five-foot-eight midfielder made his professional debut on Sept. 8, 2018, with English fourth-division club Bradford City on a loan from Huddersfield Town, and he went on to play 46 times for Bradford City. He then returned to Huddersfield Town in 2019 and was named the 2019-2020 Player of the Year after finishing second in the league with 121 tackles. He appeared in a total of 131 career matches across all competitions for Huddersfield Town, scoring eight goals and registering 10 assists before moving to Nottingham Forest.

TRANSACTION: LAFC acquires midfielder Lewis O’Brien on loan from English Premier League club Nottingham Forest through 2024 with a club option to purchase.

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