Swansea City fans really did have a lot of hope for a Lewis O’Brien return for the coming season. Especially with the negotiating skills of Sporting Director, Richard Montague who has done some remarkable business to date this summer.
Recent ‘interest’ in the midfielder who is still at Nottingham Forest is confirmed and not only the Swans, Birmingham City and Southampton are interested. Despite the Blues and Saints being put into the spotlight due to their financial weight nothing yet has been agreed in principle fee wise. That is as of this morning but both clubs will have to move pretty smartly. Some would look at the speculation of two clubs in competition with each other as a well placed piece of leaked information. There’s nothing like a bidding war for a selling club to reap the highest financial reward.
Montague has spoken to Nottingham Forest and is fully aware of the details that would at least get him into contract talks with the player. As it stands there is no agreed fee, no official contract talks, and we should remember that. As a caveat anyone who thinks that Birmingham City and Southampton haven’t managed to get information to Lewis on salary and contract length are well behind the curve. Both clubs can easily inch the Swans out of the way and very much the same as we experienced with Harry Darling sometimes you have to move on. Montague offered him a superb contract with huge incentives but he went with the better money and a belief he could achieve more elsewhere.
The word we have is that despite Lewis O’Brien enjoying his time in the Swansea area his wife, Robyn came down after the birth of their daughter, Olive Grace to a very different environment. The club really did look after her before and post the birth but there can’t be a more difficult time for her to experience an unfamiliar area after having a new baby. It’s a major life event in a city where let’s be honest she had little family support. That’s why we have always stated the decision will be down to her as much as Lewis.
He may genuinely believe that the Swans have assembled a decent squad to date, but Birmingham City and Southampton can clearly offer him more. This both in terms of salary, immediate contention for Premier League football and maybe an edge on contract length. He also has interest from abroad, but you get the feeling a new start in the Championship with the possibility of Premier League football next year could clinch the deal.
That is of course if that is where he believes his future may lay. The Premier League are yet to come knocking.
Personally I can’t see this happening with this latest information, no matter what the Swans try to do to persuade him and his family to come to Swansea. He will have lot of things on the table to think about very shortly. And on this occasion all of us at the Indy want to be wrong, but it is really stacking up against Lewis signing for the Swans this summer.