Ben Osborn has revealed that he took the decision to leave Nottingham Forest as he was unsure about whether or not he would want to sign a new contract at The City Ground.

The midfielder left Forest to join newly-promoted Premier League side Sheffield United during the summer transfer window, with just one year remaining on his contract with his now-former club.

Speaking to Notts TV's Team Talk Show about his decision to leave the club, Osborn said: “I only had a year on my contract, so it was a case of ‘am I looking to sign a new deal here?'”

Osborn made over 200 appearances for Forest during his time at the club, and the 25-year-old revealed that there had been interest in him before, claiming: “There’d always been a little bit of interest in quite a few of the (transfer) windows, but when a Premier League club came knocking - I had a couple of chances earlier on in my career which I didn’t go (for) - I just wanted to stay at Forest - I really wanted to pursue (the move to Sheffield United.)”

It was reported that Forest received £3million from the Blades for Osborn, and the midfielder believes that that fee means that the deal will have suited all parties, as he added: “I think it worked out alright for all parties involved.

"I think they were happy because they needed to get some money in so it was good to get it over the line.”

Despite that, Osborn did admit that it was difficult to leave Forest after so long at the club, as he concluded: “It was tough to leave the City Ground and that the dream was to get promoted to the Premier League with Forest but it didn’t happen.”

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Osborn has so far made just a single appearance for Sheffield United this season, which came in the club's 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

The Verdict

I can understand Osborn's approach here.

Having been at Forest for so long, Osborn clearly felt that the time was right to step up to the Premier League, and it makes sense to have taken that opportunity this summer, while it was there for certain.

Considering that Osborn had only 12 months remaining on his contract at the City Ground, it seems as though this has benefitted Forest as well, since they have at least been able to receive a fee for the midfielder this summer, rather than seeing him leave for nothing next year.

Following a slow start to his time at Bramall Lane, it will be interesting to see how Osborn copes with the challenge of forcing his way into a Premier League side.