Derby County man Ben Osborn has emerged as the subject of interest for multiple top-end League One clubs in recent days.
If reports are to be believed, it looks as though the race to sign the 31-year-old is set to conclude imminently.
Stockport County Win Race To Sign Ben Osborn
Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke reports that Dave Challinor’s Stockport County have won the race to sign Osborn.
Although the exact nature of the deal is not yet known, Football League World previously reported that Plymouth Argyle has submitted a bid to sign the versatile player on loan.
Osborn started his career with Nottingham Forest, carving out a big reputation for himself at the City Ground.
He made his first-team debut for Forest in the 2013/14 season, impressively registering two assists in the eight games that he played.
The following campaign saw the former England youth international establish himself as a key player for the Reds in spite of his youth. He made 37 league appearances, scoring three goals and making five assists.
Over the following years, Osborn established himself as one of the most promising young midfielders in English football as he won the EFL Young Player of the Month award in January 2016.
He also appeared in every league game in both the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, winning Forest’s Player of the Season award in the latter campaign.
After 230 games and 47 goal contributions, Osborn swapped the red of Forest for the red of Sheffield United in July 2019.
Unfortunately, his £3.3 million move to Bramall Lane did not quite go to plan. The Derby-born man struggled for both fitness and form, making over 30 appearances just once in his five seasons in Yorkshire.
He left the club on a free transfer and joined Derby County at the start of last season. His stint with the Rams has been fairly average as he has once again struggled to nail down a place in the starting XI.
Is This A Good Move For Stockport County?
Depending on the exact finances of the move, this could be an excellent acquisition.
Osborn is no longer the ever-present player that he was in the dawn of his career, but he can still offer a lot to Stockport.
The 31-year-old has played a staggering 291 games in the Championship and over 60 games in the Premier League. He will therefore be able to add experience to the Hatters alongside the likes of Oliver Norwood.
Some may argue that it is this inexperience, especially in the backline, which has led to Stockport conceding a couple of fairly late goals in the opening weeks of the season.
Osborn also offers tremendous versatility, being able to play in both central midfield and at left-back. His ability in the latter position will be particularly important given that Danny Andrews’ one-month contract is due to expire imminently.
Additionally, beating a League One rival in Plymouth to secure Osborn’s signature means that Stockport’s competition will not be getting any stronger, after the well-backed Argyle have struggled in the opening weeks of the League One season.