Hull City warning issued over £5m Nottingham Forest transfer saga - there are "better options" | OneFootball

FLW’s Hull City fan pundit has issued his thoughts on a deal for Nottingham Forest’s Lewis O’Brien.

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Hull City are keen on signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien this summer.

The Tigers are putting early preparations in place for the new 2025-26 season, with transfer targets aplenty in their bid to bolster the squad and push towards the upper ends of the Championship table.

The Yorkshire outfit will be hopeful Sergej Jakirović can bring stability and success to the club after being appointed into the hotseat over two weeks ago, with the Bosnian set to work with new signings Reda Laalaoui, Dillion Phillips and Semi Ajayi.

A key area to target for the new boss is in midfield, it seems, with Hull hoping to lure O’Brien to the MKM Stadium.

According to journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon, Hull have proposed an offer of £5m to secure the former Huddersfield Town midfielders' services, but Forest are reportedly expecting a higher fee before sanctioning the player's departure for permanent talks.

With this news in mind, FLW’s Hull City fan pundit has reacted to the latest developments.

Hull City concern raised over Lewis O'Brien price-tag

Speaking to Football League World, Hull City fan pundit Cameron Gibson has urged the Tigers to pursue a deal for Lewis O’Brien with “caution”, believing the club shouldn’t go too far above the £5 million mark for what the 26-year-old has produced in recent seasons.

Gibson said: “I think Lewis O’Brien is a great player. I think he's definitely got the experience to play in the Championship, as we know, at Swansea, Middlesbrough and for a period of time, at Nottingham Forest.

“He’s a good player, would definitely add a lot to our squad and our dressing room.

"For his numbers, I’m not sure £5 million is really worth it. I know he’s not a player who relies on his goalscoring or his assist making to be a good player, but the numbers that he puts up are not really worth the money, in my opinion.

“He went to Los Angeles for a period of time to the MLS, came back and did well at Swansea last season, so I won't write him off, but I do think there are better options out there for that sort of price.

"But if the club were interested, and he definitely wants to come to Hull City, then it might make sense to increase our bid if he is really set on coming to Hull City. If he is looking at all options and Nottingham Forest are just playing out to the highest bidder, I'm not sure if it's worth us going in for a second bid at this stage.

“As the transfer window goes on, the market will sort itself out, and I'm sure the price for Lewis O'Brien will be met by numerous clubs in the Championship, if it is affordable.

"£5 million is on the brink of affordable for most clubs for a midfielder that doesn’t really score goals, doesn't really create a lot of chances, but does play well in the Championship and has what it takes to play well in a system and be part of the dressing room.

“I would like to see us follow this one with caution. If Hull City are absolutely certain that this is going to be the player for us, then I'll go with it and if he wants to come to Hull, then I'll support it and I'll back it.

“He's a good player. I wouldn't probably go more than five and a half million at this stage so early on in the window with a lot of time still to play, other moves might happen which forces other clubs into selling and rotating, so I wouldn't rush into putting in another bid or adding another £1 million on or something like that, I would maybe sit back and watch how the window plays out.”

Lewis O’Brien would be an excellent Hull City addition, but the price tag is a concern

After a rocky period at Nottingham Forest, Lewis O’Brien has showcased from his time at Swansea City that he still has the drive and quality to be a regular first-team asset in the second tier, and that he just needs more consistent game time to blossom back into the player he was at Huddersfield Town.

O’Brien has the experience and know-how of what it takes to fight towards the top end of the Championship and, after an impressive second period of last season, most Championship teams would benefit from signing him this summer.

Despite this, more than £5 million is a lot of money for a Championship side to spend, particularly when not getting the benefit of parachute payments from the Premier League.

Given Forest are so demanding over a price, the best decision for the Tigers to take is to play the long game in the transfer window, hoping Forest relinquish on a fee to get him off their books, allowing the Yorkshire outfit to get a much better deal and earn a shrewd addition at this level.