Leyton Orient are on course to complete the signing of free agent midfielder Alex Gilbert.
The 24-year-old has been without a club since the end of last season, being released by Middlesbrough after 21 appearances in their play-off-clinching Championship campaign.
Wellens Eyes Final Deal
It has been a quiet deadline day at Brisbane Road, with focus firmly on their League One match on the road against Bromley. Just one deal has gone through involving the O’s in the form of Dylan Levitt’s exit to join Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.
A new face could come in to replace the 25-year-old, with Alan Nixon reporting through his Patreon page that Orient are set to sign Alex Gilbert, which is seen as a ‘coup’ for the League One club.
The Republic of Ireland international is on the lookout for a new club in the wake of his Boro exit, having also been loaned out halfway through his three-year spell on the Riverside to join Charlton Athletic.
He played 14 times in League One for the Addicks, earning promotion through the playoffs after beating Wycombe Wanderers and Leyton Orient at Wembley.
Richie Wellens is experimenting with a new midfield partnership this season following the recruitment of Isaac Hayden, who has partnered Idris El Mizouni through each of the club’s five competitive games so far.
What Can Gilbert Offer Orient?
At just 24, Alex Gilbert is without a club and has thankfully landed on his feet, joining a Leyton Orient team ready to try and redeem themselves after a poor performance last season.
Having struggled to nail down a regular place at both Charlton Athletic on loan and at Middlesbrough, the move to Brisbane Road offers the midfielder a fresh chance to try and re-establish himself as a key option in any manager’s plans.
However, he will have his work cut out, with Isaac Hayden joining Idris El Mizouni as Richie Wellens’ starters in the double pivot, and have got off to a fairly promising start despite the poor showing in results so far.
Crucially, with Dylan Levitt off the books, it keeps Orient with strong midfield depth for the next few months, and in time Gilbert should be able to try and impose himself as one of the first names on the team sheet in East London.
