Sheffield Wednesday have pulled out of their interest in Aston Villa‘s Tommi O’Reilly, with Notts County now set to sign the attacking midfielder on loan.
The Owls have been very active in their first transfer window since their sanctions were lifted, and despite owner David Storch confirming they would not be able to complete any more paid deals, they have still been scouring the loan and free agent markets.
Magpies Benefit From Owls Decision
One name that has been frequently on the Wednesday radar is Tommi O’Reilly, who has been a key loan target for the past week as they look to bolster their attacking options.
He would have marked the third deal the South Yorkshire side completed with Aston Villa this window, having already secured both Louie Barry and Sil Swinkles, with the former joining on a permanent basis.
However, according to the Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, the Owls have now cooled their interest in O’Reilly, who had a stellar campaign in League Two with Crewe Alexandra, scoring seven times and providing 13 assists in 50 games.
That has since allowed one of their League One rivals in Notts County to make their own move to sign the 22-year-old, with an agreement between all parties reached, according to Alan Nixon on his Patreon channel.
He reports that while an offer from Wednesday was considered, ultimately the attacking midfielder preferred a move to Meadow Lane, with playing time a key factor in his decision.
O’Reilly has been a highly coveted figure heading into the summer, with previous reports also stating that Huddersfield Town, Portsmouth and Oxford United were all interested in a deal.
Crucial Addition For County
With Notts County heading into League One, they needed to find some key options to strengthen their ranks in order to avoid an immediate battle against relegation.
Tommi O’Reilly acts as one of the best additions they could have made in the transfer market, especially considering the calibre of teams that were all interested in making a deal happen earlier in the window.
Martin Paterson’s biggest concern heading into this window was replacing the creative outputs of Tom Iorpenda and Jayden Luker following the expiration of their loan deals, and O’Reilly could certainly cover their exits.
Having also added Callum Roberts to their ranks from Scunthorpe United, County should now have the appropriate cover to provide for both Alassana Jatta and new recruit Luka Smyth, but depth may still be a concern less than two weeks away from their opener against Burnley.
