'Fans will take to O'Brien' - Swans legend Tate

Alan Tate has given Lewis O'Brien a glowing reference following his move to Swansea City – but says the midfielder will be nothing like Matt Grimes.

Swansea signed O'Brien on loan from Nottingham Forest in the one piece of good news for the Championship club on an otherwise dispiriting transfer deadline day.

The Swans moved for O'Brien having sold Grimes to Coventry City last week.

And while Tate says the two players have contrasting qualities, the Swansea legend expects O'Brien to thrive at his former club.

"Signing Lewis is a good bit of business," said Tate, who was assistant boss to Steve Cooper at Forest when O'Brien moved to the City Ground in 2022.

"He brings enthusiasm and dynamism with the legs he has in midfield. He gets stuck in, he will make passes and he will make forward runs.

"He also a great lad, one of the best you will ever meet. He has the cheeky chappy sense of humour, but he trains properly and will play anywhere you want him to play. I think the Swans fans will take to him."

Swansea pushed hard to get the O'Brien deal over the line having seen Grimes depart after a decade at the club.

The former Huddersfield Town player, who was on loan at Los Angeles FC earlier this season, is expected to make his Swansea debut in Sunday's game at Bristol City.

Swansea hope O'Brien's experience and proven Championship pedigree will hope them cope with the loss of Grimes, who was arguably Luke Williams' most influential player.

But Tate (pictured above with Cooper) says O'Brien will offer something different to the Swansea midfield, adding: "The only way he is like Grimesy is that he is left-footed. They are not like for like players in any way really, in terms of how they play.

"Grimes is more of a controller. Lewis is an all-action midfielder who wants to get up and down the pitch.

"He wants to get forward and score goals but he will also do really well on the defensive side."