Former Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town Midfielder Dominic Ball has today completed a move to League One side Leyton Orient.
The central midfielder, who has over 100 EFL appearances to his name, joins The O’s on a deal until the end of the season after recently helping Kieran Mckenna’s Ipswich Town achieve back-to-back promotions in the last two seasons.
Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens had previously been very vocal about adding some experience to his young squad, and had this to say on the signing of the 29-year-old via the club website:
“We’re delighted to welcome Dom here to Leyton Orient, with him adding both real quality and depth to our squad. He has played the majority of his career in the Championship to date, and not only does he add some more experience to our midfield, he is a real leader, and someone Kieran McKenna has given great credit to regarding the excellent team spirit which saw Ipswich gain back-to-back promotions in recent years. He can play a number of positions, but midfield is his strongest, and we’re excited to see what he can bring to the squad.”
Orient have lost all four of their league matches so far this season and sit at the bottom of the Sky Bet League One standings, and got comfortably beaten away at fellow strugglers Shrewsbury Town in their last match.
But the arrival of Dominic Ball allows for a bit more experience in the middle of the park, with the impressive Zech Obeiro just 19 years of age and in his first EFL season, whilst Ethan Galbraith and Jordan Brown are both only 23 themselves – here’s what Leyton Orient’s newest recruit had to say upon joining the club:
“I’m delighted to get this over the line and join a great club like Leyton Orient. I’m still only 29 and I’m lucky to have played so many games in my career at some great clubs, and I’m desperate to continue improving and developing as a player.
“I look at the squad here, and it’s full of really talented, young players, but you also need those older heads who have played at all different types of levels. In my last two seasons at Ipswich, we achieved back-to-back promotions, which was achieved by working hard individually and collectively. I’m hopeful that I can bring some of my experience from my career to help this team.”
Writer’s View
Dominic Ball definitely is a player that will improve the way Leyton Orient want to play under Richie Wellens. It’s fair to see he will add stability and tactical know-how to a midfield that is not far off competing with the better squads in the division, if they can click as a group.
This move seems like a sensible move for all parties, The O’s did not spend a lot of money in the summer window and mainly have relied on loan deals and free transfers, and whilst Ball is looking for a club that plays a similar style of football to Mckenna’s eye-catching tactics at Ipswich, Orient might just be the perfect fit.
Be the first to comment