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20 July, 2022

O’Brien and Toffolo arrive

On this day in 2022 Forest sign Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo.

Player legacies

Major double signing
Harry Toffolo, former Forest player
Harry Toffolo, former Forest player Image: Jt8146 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo joined Nottingham Forest only weeks after facing the club at Wembley.

Both players had been part of the Huddersfield Town side beaten by Forest in the 2022 Championship play-off final. Their arrival therefore carried an unusual twist: two opponents from the biggest match of Forest’s modern era were now joining the Premier League rebuild.

Harry Toffolo, former Forest player
Harry Toffolo, former Forest player Image: Jt8146 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Their Forest paths then split. Toffolo became a useful squad player, making 57 appearances across all competitions and scoring once before leaving after three seasons. O’Brien found it harder to break into the Premier League side and later spent time away from Forest on loan.

For supporters, the deal belonged to the rush and excitement of that summer, but it also showed how unpredictable the rebuild became. Forest were recruiting at speed, trying to make promotion feel like the start of something rather than a one-season return.

Toffolo Interview

Sources

Nottingham Forest official site; BBC Sport; The Independent

Forest timeline

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On this day in …
2022
O’Brien and Toffolo arrive

Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo joined Nottingham Forest only weeks after facing the club at Wembley. Both players had been part of the Huddersfield…

Player legacies