Leyton Orient can source Sol Brynn replacement from Crystal Palace: View | OneFootball

Leyton Orient desperately need to sign a goalkeeper before the start of the 2024-25 League One season.

That is because Sol Brynn has now returned to Middlesbrough following a successful loan spell at the Gaughan Group Stadium.

Leyton Orient's goalkeeper situation

Having lost three-time Player of the Season award winner Lawrence Vigoroux to Premier League side Burnley, the O's found themselves without a goalkeeper last summer.

And, rather than bringing in a senior player on a permanent transfer, they decided to loan Middlesbrough academy graduate Brynn.

The 23-year-old failed to replicate Vigoroux's heroic efforts, which was always going to be a tough ask, but it still turned out to be a solid move. He played all but four of Orient's league games and kept 13 clean sheets.

Brynn returned to the Riverside Stadium at the end of the season and it remains to be seen whether Michael Carrick will give him a chance in the first team.

One thing that is for certain is that Orient need to prepare for life without him and sign a replacement over the coming weeks as 26-year-old Sam Howes is currently the only goalkeeper in the squad.

The likes of former Portsmouth 'number one' Matt Macey and ex-Plymouth Argyle player Callum Burton are among the list of free agents that could be interested in a move to the East London club.

However, Richie Wellens' side could be better off going for another loan deal, with an exciting Crystal Palace prospect up for grabs.

Leyton Orient should sign Joe Whitworth on loan

Joe Whitworth spent time in AFC Wimbledon's academy before joining Palace in 2016, at the age of 12. He has also been part of the England setup from the under-15's up to the under-19's.

One thing that Whitworth has not yet experienced, however, is a loan move to a Football League team.

Excelling at youth level, as he did in the recent Premier League International Cup, is important, but it does not always lead to success in the senior game.

Although the 20-year-old played in two first-team matches this season, he needs to spend the 2024-25 season out on loan if he is to make it at Palace and, Leyton Orient could be a perfect fit.

Firstly, with the Championship seemingly increasing in quality every year, League One would present Whitworth with the perfect challenge at this stage of his career.

Meanwhile, Wellens' style of play makes the O's an attractive club for the likes of Palace to send players on loan to.

While the quality of player is obviously not the same, his expansive brand of football is not dissimilar to some of the top teams in the country.

The former Swindon Town boss would ask Whitworth to carry out the role of a sweeper keeper, which is what all the top managers in the world also do.

And, given that Orient are another London-based club, Whitworth would either not need to relocate or only have to move a short distance away.

The East London club are likely to face competition from other EFL teams – with Exeter City, Doncaster Rovers, and Shrewsbury Town among those reportedly keen – but they could use these factors to their advantage in order to secure the signature of one of Palace's top prospects.