He described it as “one of the toughest moments” in his life after his move to Blackburn Rovers fell through.
The midfielder was poised to join Ewood Park on loan in January 2023, with the deal set to become permanent if Rovers secured promotion. At the time, Blackburn were in the play-off positions under Jon Dahl Tomasson, aiming for a Premier League return. However, the deal only became an option on deadline day, making it a race against time.
The complexity of the transfer, which included an obligation to buy if Blackburn were promoted, left the club scrambling. Former Director of Football Gregg Broughton later took responsibility for the situation.
Unfortunately, O’Brien’s paperwork wasn’t submitted before the deadline, and despite an appeal from Rovers, he wasn’t able to be registered. Having been excluded from Nottingham Forest’s Premier League squad, it left him sidelined.
Speaking to The Mirror, he said, “It was really difficult, probably one of the toughest moments I’ve experienced in my life. I thought I was on the verge of playing regular football, possibly pushing for the play-offs, and maybe even promotion because Blackburn were third or fourth at the time.
“From what I was told, everything was going smoothly, but deadline day is what it is. I signed everything, I was at the training ground, and I thought it was all done. Then they told me that one piece of paper hadn’t gone through, but from my side, I thought everything was sorted.”
He added, “I wasn’t named in the 25-man squad for Forest, so I looked to the MLS, which helped me rediscover myself as a player and play football again. That’s part of why I returned to the MLS this year.”
O’Brien is still a Nottingham Forest player but is currently on his third loan spell, this time back in Major League Soccer. After a stint with Middlesbrough last season, he is now playing for LAFC for the current campaign.
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