Blackburn Rovers will not be signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien after the EFL turned down their findings to push the loan move through, Alan Nixon has reported on Patreon.

Rovers looked to bolster their engine room on deadline day on Tuesday with the 24-year-old after he fell down the pecking order at the City Ground, and Jon Dahl Tomasson looked well on course to land the left-footer.

An agreement was delayed whilst all parties thrashed out terms which would take O'Brien to Ewood Park on a permanent basis this summer for £10 million should Blackburn win promotion to the Premier League, and eventually a medical was completed with all contracts set to be signed.

However, Rovers were kept waiting yesterday as to whether the deal was pushed through by the 11pm deadline on January 31, as one form which had been signed prior to the deadline had not been sent off on time.

Rovers submitted their evidence to the EFL this morning in order to try and get the deal sorted, but with the rejection O'Brien will now head back to Forest to see if he makes the club's 25-man squad for the remainder of the campaign - although Blackburn can appeal the decision within seven days.

The Verdict

Blackburn will no doubt be furious that their O'Brien deal has not gotten over the line.

He could have been a big addition to their midfield for the rest of the season as they push for promotion, but ultimately one signed form that was not processed on time has proven to be their downfall.

It appears unlikely that an appeal would change things either considering the EFL quickly made their minds up today, so it looks like Sorba Thomas will be the club's only January addition when they really needed more.

Not having O'Brien in their starting 11 could potentially end up being the difference between making the play-offs and finishing outside of the top six, so this one could hurt for a while.