The January transfer window, on the whole, was a difficult one for Swansea City.

There were several departures, including captain Matt Grimes, but just two incomings, not including the arrival of Melker Widell, who won't be turning out for the Swans until next season.

All in all, there's still a concerning lack of depth within this squad, and Luke Williams will now likely have to make the best of what he's got available to him.

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However, deadline day did offer some positives that shouldn't be glossed over. Keeping Harry Darling was clearly a big plus, while the capture of Lewis O'Brien on loan from Nottingham Forest looks, on paper at least, a really strong signing. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here.

The 26-year-old was on loan at MLS side Los Angeles FC earlier in the season, but arrives with a solid Championship pedigree, having shone for Huddersfield Town, where he made over 120 appearances before leaving for Forest in 2022.

So, what can Swansea fans really expect from their newest recruit?

We spoke to NottinghamLive's Nottingham Forest writer Sarah Clapson to find out.

What sort of player is O'Brien?

He's quite a terrier-like midfielder. He works hard and he has a bit of quality about him. I remember when he first came in at Forest. They'd just made the step up to the Premier League so everything was all quite new and different for the football club and everybody.

But he seemed to adjust very well initially. He looked like he could offer something and wasn't afraid of getting stuck in. He seemed to be really eager to show he could make the step up and play at Premier League level, and I think initially he did. I think he was just a little unfortunate really with how it all panned out for him.

He'd done well at Huddersfield prior to that, and he seemed like the kind of player that was always going to give his all and always left everything out there.

He's definitely got something about him, and I'm still convinced he's a decent player. It's just not really happened for him at Forest.

He's really energetic and plays like a number eight role where he can get forward. I don't think he scores a great deal of goals, but I think he's got so much energy that you kind of just want to let him run and go.

From what I remember, he likes to get stuck into a tackle too. He's quite tenacious and eager to have a say on a game. He just needs to find his role and his way a little bit.

How did the move to Forest come about?

It was a joint deal with him and Harry Toffolo. They both came in together and initially they were joined at the hip.

He was part of that big recruitment drive in 2022 and was brought in to help cope with the step up to the Premier League. Tofollo is obviously still involved, while O'Brien's had a few loan spells since then.

Why's he not managed to break through at Forest?

Well for that first season when he first came in, he was involved and he was playing games. I think he got ill at one stage and that really set him back. He kept going but couldn't get back into the team then.

That January, in 2023, he wasn't playing and was down the pecking order, so they decided to let him out on loan. He was due to join Blackburn Rovers in January, but the move collapsed at the last minute as Blackburn didn't submit the paperwork in time. So it just fell apart for him, and he was left out of the 25-man Premier League squad after that. They tried to set him up with another loan, which then took time because the window was closed.

He ended up going to DC United in the MLS and then came back. But that summer, Forest had recruited again, and he just wasn't going to get back into the team. So he went out on loan again, and I think now, because Forest have moved on to such a level, for him to get any kind of look in is going to be so difficult. They've really bolstered the midfield options to such an extent that James Ward-Prowse was allowed to go back to West Ham because they're just so strong there.

Another loan was always going to be on the cards when he returned from Los Angeles.

LAFC had the option to buy, why didn't they take it up?

I think there were talks with Forest about making his deal permanent. For whatever reason that didn't happen. But it seemed like he was playing there and doing quite well, so I'm not too sure why they didn't take it up.

But it then left him looking for another option in January.

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What's the future likely to hold? Does he have a future at Forest?

For him now it's about him trying to prove himself again and maybe putting himself in the shop window a bit. Whether that be for Swansea or other clubs.

When he was at Middlesbrough he did really well and they quite liked him. But again, for whatever reason, a move didn't happen then.

Trying to work his way into contention at Forest is going to be really difficult for him because they're obviously doing so well and they are really strong in midfield. They've just kicked on a lot in the last two years. Their recruitment has evolved too over that time. I think for Lewis O'Brien it might be a case of trying to set himself up for the summer.

Could this move be made permanent? What sort of price would Forest want for him?

I don't think they'd want too much for him.

Nuno likes to have a tightly-knit squad, so if Forest can get to the summer and there's a chance to get certain players off the books, like O'Brien, I think they would take that.

If Swansea can come up with a decent figure, I think Forest would probably snap their hands off.