Leyton Orient Announce The Signing Of Championship Forward

Leyton Orient have announced the signing of 20-year-old attacker Sonny Perkins on a season-long loan deal from Championship club Leeds United.

The youngster is the son of former Peterborough United striker Declan Perkins and joins The O’s after spending the first six months of last season on loan at play-off winners Oxford United.

Speaking to the club’s media team, Sonny had this to say about joining The O’s.

“It’s really special to be back. I’ve been here so many times in the stands and as a ballboy, and I’m looking forward to getting out on the pitch in front of the fans for the first time.

“I’ve spoke a lot to Lingy and we laughed about how he sold me as a 14-year-old. Having people who have known me for a long time made the decision easier to come back here. After speaking with Richie, and knowing where he sees the club and the team going, along with how well they played last couple of years, it’s really encouraging.

“I want to help the club push forward as much as possible. I’d love to bring energy and hope to the club and see us push for as good of a season as we can do.”

Head Coach Richie Wellens went on to add.

“Sonny has a superb amount of natural ability, and we’re really pleased to see him join us here at Leyton Orient. He is highly rated by Leeds, and we’re excited to see what he can do for us going forward.

“He’s a really versatile player, who can play as a centre forward or in the ten roles. He’s scored a really impressive amount of goals for both Leeds and West Ham’s U21 sides, and we believe that he is ready to make that step up to senior football now.”

Who Is Sonny Perkins?

Sonny was with the Leyton Orient academy before leaving the club at U15 level joining Premier League Side West Ham United in 2019. The youngster made his senior debut for The Hammers in a UEFA Europa League Fixture, and making his Premier League debut against now his parent club Leeds United. He scored his first professional goal for Leeds United with a late equalizer in the FA Cup third round.

After scoring 11 goals in 18 appearances in Premier League 2 in the 22/23 season, Sonny was sent out on loan to Oxford United, where he would only appear for five minutes in the league. He saw more game time in the cups for The U’s scoring in the EFL Trophy against Chelsea U21.

The youngster has also represented England age groups from U15-U19 and is a consistent goal scorer at the level scoring 11 goals in 16 games across the age groups.

What will he bring to The O’s Frontline?

Sonny is now entering the last year of his contract with Leeds United, so in my opinion, this is a big loan spell for him if he wants to earn himself a new contract. Orient has been very good in recent history at picking up young players and developing them such as the likes of Ollie O’Neill and Shaq Forde, so this may be the perfect place for Sonny to showcase what he is about.

The left-footed attacker in my opinion is a bit like outgoing forward Ruel Sotiriou in and around the box. Often operates up front but is also very capable of playing off the striker. The striker is a composed figure in front of the goal and is extremely capable of using both feet, often finding himself in the right place in the box to be on the end of crosses. He also offers great feet with a direct play style that puts fullbacks and defenders on the back foot, sometimes drifting wide to take on and beat a man.

Standing at 6ft 2 the attacker also poses a physical threat, holding off defenders and bringing teammates into play, which works well with wingers who like to get behind their full-backs.