Lewis O’Brien has finally joined Wrexham, becoming the club’s record transfer in the process.
Having been linked with a move to North Wales throughout summer, Lewis O’Brien has finally made the move to the Racecourse. On Thursday evening, Wrexham confirmed that they have signed O’Brien in a club record £5m deal from Premier League Nottingham Forest.
He becomes the club’s sixth signing of the summer, and the third signing to have arrived in the space of a few days. Phil Parkinson has recently welcomed fellow midfielder George Thomason to the club, as well as Josh Windass who joins on a free transfer after leaving Sheffield Wednesday.
O’Brien, though, could be the pick of the bunch for many fans. He had multiple suitors in the Championship but chose to join Wrexham ahead of the new season, with fans now quickly gaining confidence ahead of the Championship opener against Southampton on August 9th.
And despite the arrivals of Thomason and O’Brien, Parkinson could yet add another midfielder to his ranks in Christian Eriksen this summer.
Wrexham make approach to sign Christian Eriksen
Reports on Friday revealed that Wrexham have finally made an approach to sign Eriksen following his release from Manchester United. The 33-year-old Dane is currently a free agent and has interest from around the world, including from Saudi Arabia and from elsewhere in Europe.
Earlier in the summer, Wrexham were loosely linked with a move for Eriksen, but the link quickly died down. However, Daily Mail are now reporting that Wrexham have a concrete interest in the player, whose agent hasn’t ruled out a move to the Racecourse.
It would be a stunning signing for Wrexham. Indeed, it would be so for any championship team. But for O’Brien, there could be mixed feelings if Eriksen follows him to Wrexham this summer. Here’s why…
Lewis O’Brien could have mixed feelings about Christian Eriksen arriving
After signing Thomason and O’Brien, Parkinson’s central midfield options are all of a sudden looking very promising. Should he stick with a fluid 5-3-1-1 formation going into next season, then we could expect to see O’Brien as one of the definite starters, potentially along with Thomason, and one of the pre-existing midfielders at the club.
Ollie Rathbone is injured right now and could miss the start of next season, but a fully fit Rathbone surely starts alongside O’Brien, with the third midfield spot likely up for grabs between Matty James and potentially Eriksen. Then there’s the likes of Andy Cannon, George Evans, George Dobson, Tom O’Connor and Elliot Lee to fit into the equation.
Right now O’Brien is the key midfielder at Wrexham. Parkinson surely builds his team around him, but should Eriksen arrive, then the focus would fall on Eriksen. For O’Brien, that could mean a different style of play, or potentially playing second fiddle to the Dane.
On the flip side, playing alongside Eriksen and learning from such an experienced and talented footballer will be hugely beneficial to O’Brien and everyone else in the team.
Whether Eriksen signs for Wrexham this summer remains to be seen, if not unlikely, but Eriksen signing would certainly come with a lot of caveats, money being one, and the impact it has on fellow midfielders like O’Brien, who Wrexham have also invested heavily in.