Leyton Orient must lean on insurance policy where Swansea City target is concerned | OneFootball

Ethan Galbraith has recently been linked to the Championship side.

Ethan Galbraith has become a star at Leyton Orient since joining the club in June 2023.

The Northern Ireland international has been an ever-present figure in the team, only missing ten league games out of a possible 72.

His impressive performances this year for the O's, coupled with Orient's high-flying form which has seen the club pick up 26 points from their last 30 available and currently sit just a solitary point outside the play-off places, have drawn attention from elsewhere and recently the 23-year-old has been linked to Swansea City.

Leyton Orient and Swansea City have recently done business

The O's and the Swans have clearly kept their communication flowing since Scotland U21 international Azeem Abdulai made the permanent switch to E10 earlier in the window.

Abdulai made his debut in Saturday's 2-0 win against Reading and has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.

On his departure, Swansea manager Luke Williams told BBC Sport: "I think he will play more probably as a box-to-box midfield player there.

"He did a good job in the wide positions for us, but he's not exactly the perfect fit. When a player has the urge to go and a club comes in and gives him that opportunity, it's difficult to keep the player in a good place, so it was the right thing to do."

Although the signing of Abdulai was widely welcomed by O's supporters, the idea of the East Londoners bringing in a player for a position that they aren't exactly short in numbers in has led many to speculate that they could be preparing for departures in the midfield area - either this month or in the summer.

Salford City, but the threat of Galbraith departing mid-season will leave many uncomfortable until the final minutes of Deadline Day.

Leyton Orient should look to the future with Galbraith

Galbraith, who is only 23, hasn't had his stock so high since his academy days with Premier League giants Manchester United.

The midfielder, who has deputised at right-back on many occasions this season to an extremely high level, only has six months left on his deal - although there is an extension in the club's favour that gives Orient a big advantage in any possible transfer negotiations.

It's an insurance policy that protects the player's value should the League One club manage to keep hold of him beyond the end of January and it's one that Richie Wellens and co. must lean on.

In an ideal world, Orient would stand firm and reject any advances by Galbraith's admirers but football is a business and an opportunity for the 23-year-old to make the jump to the second tier might be enough to turn his head.

If they can convince Galbraith to stick out the season, it would be the best bit of business the club can do in the January window. Losing a player so crucial to the club's best run of form in years, midway through a season, would not only be gut-wrenching for the fans but would also leave a massive hole in the side that the O's would struggle to fill this late into the window.

Even if Orient were to gain a sizable fee for the Northern Ireland international, the likelihood of there being a player available in the next few days that would have the consistency that Galbraith has is very small.

Ethan Galbraith is simply the glue that holds the side together, and if Orient were able to keep him tied down to E10, the sky is the limit for this team this season.