One West Brom star may be concerned if Baggies sign Nottingham Forest player | OneFootball

Lewis O'Brien is being linked with a move to the Baggies

There will have been great interest in the business done by West Brom during this summer's transfer window.

Back in February, American businessman Shilen Patel had become the club's new owner, completing a long-awaited takeover from Gaochuan Lai.

This was therefore the Baggies' first time in the transfer market under their new ownership, and fans will have been keen to see how much head coach Carlos Corberan would be backed.

The first piece of incoming business done by West Brom during the window came in late June, when they announced the signing of Ousmane Diakite from TSV Hartberg.

Arriving on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with the Austrian side, the midfielder signed a two-year deal, with the club holding the option to extend by a further year.

That effectively secures the 24-year-old's future at The Hawthorns until the end of the 2026/27 season, although things have not exactly gone to plan for Diakite since making that move.

Ousmane Diakite yet to establish himself at West Brom

It has been a rather frustrating time of things for Diakite since he completed his transfer to England, to play in the country for the first time in his career.

So far, the 24-year-old is yet to establish himself as a regular in Corberan's side, and things have not exactly gone well for him when he has got on the pitch.

Across the 12 league games the Baggies have played this season, Diakite has featured in just six, with only one of those outings as a starter.

That was in West Brom's first league defeat of the season, when the midfielder was withdrawn at half time with his side 2-0 down away at Sheffield Wednesday.

Since then, there has been a single brief substitute appearance for the Malian, and so it is hard to imagine this move has gone as he would have hoped.

Now, it could be argued that the latest transfer rumours around West Brom, could potentially cause even more frustration for Diakite.

Lewis O'Brien a target for the Baggies

As per recent reports from TeamTalk, the Baggies are one of several Championship clubs showing an interest in Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien ahead of the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old is on loan with MLS side LAFC until the end of this calendar year, when the season ends in America.

It is thought that O'Brien does not feature in Forest's plans beyond that point, which could open the door for the likes of the West Brom to make a move for him.

If they do so and succeed in signing the midfielder, it would surely be bad news for Diakite's own prospects at The Hawthorns.

Adding the Forest midfielder to the squad would bring with it more competition for a place in the midfielder for the Baggies' summer signing.

Indeed, given O'Brien is already proven to be a solid operator in the Championship after spells there with Huddersfield Town and Middlesbrough, he would likely be getting the nod ahead of Diakite.

That is particularly the case given it was under the management of Corberan, that the Forest midfielder helped Huddersfield reach the Championship play-off final in 2022.

Thanks to that, the now West Brom boss will likely have a particularly strong faith in O'Brien, and therefore be particularly keen to involve him in the side if a deal can be done.

In turn, such a situation would likely push Diakite even further down the pecking order with the Baggies, making it harder for him to get the game time he will want here.

With that in mind, you get the feeling there latest links between West Brom and O'Brien, could be a cause for some more concern for Diakite after his start to the campaign.