Leyton Orient should capitalise on Ipswich Town and Watford situations: View | OneFootball

Leyton Orient have had five players on loan since the January transfer window: Idris El Mizouni (Ipswich Town), Shaq Forde (Watford), Sol Brynn (Middlesbrough), Khayon Edwards (Arsenal) and Dan Adu-Adjei (Bournemouth).

Edwards and Adu-Adjei have both failed to make much of an impact up front, probably due to a lack of experience at senior level.

Sol Brynn has been okay, having had the impossible task of replacing Lawrence Vigoroux, but the O's are unlikely to want him back next season.

El Mizouni left France for Ipswich in 2017 and spent two years with the club's academy before making his professional debut against Bristol City on 12 March 2019.

Having made sporadic appearances in the Championship and League One for the Tractor Boys, he spent much of the next two seasons on loan at Cambridge and Grimsby.

He then returned to Ipswich for the following campaign, but only played 12 times in all competitions.

Indeed, it was not until the 2022-23 season, on loan at Orient, that he started to realise his potential.

The Tunisian made 41 League Two appearances under Richie Wellens as the East London club lifted the title.

His contribution was so significant that he took home the Manager's and Players' Player of the Season awards.

Thankfully for Wellens' side, Ipswich simultaneously won League One, and there was no place for El Mizouni in their squad for the Championship.

As a result, the midfielder returned to the Gaughan Group Stadium on another season-long loan deal.

And, he has been excellent, once again, as the O's have exceeded expectations by achieving a top-half finish.

Now, though, El Mizouni is set to be out of contract this summer - assuming Premier League hopefuls Ipswich choose not to propose an extension.

That doesn't feel likely given he's been away from Portman Road for so long but he should still have a number of options, including Orient as well as Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley, Oxford United and Wycombe Wanderers, who were all linked in January.

But, with rival clubs able to offer more lucrative deals, Wellens will have his work cut out to convince the 23-year-old to sign the dotted line.

Forde joined Watford's academy in 2012 and made his first team debut a decade later, in a 4-1 FA Cup third round defeat to Leicester.

In the same year, he scored twice in three games on loan at non-league side Kings Langley.

He then joined National League club York City for the 2022-23 season, netting nine times in 20 appearances - proving that he was ready to take the leap to an EFL team.

Wellens' Orient offered Forde that opportunity, and it is fair to say that he has made the most of it.

The forward has scored nine goals for the O's in League One, making him their second-highest goalscorer behind Ruel Sotiriou (11).

Assuming he remains under contract at Watford, which has not been made public, he could be a part of newly-appointed manager Tom Cleverley's plans.

However, should he become available for loan again, or indeed as a free agent, Orient would be foolish not to make a move for the promising youngster.

The futures of both El Mizouni at Ipswich and Forde at Watford look uncertain and the O's should be looking to capitalise.