Highlights

• Pratley likely departing Orient after 2023-24 season.
• Emerging talent Obiero ready to step up in midfield.
• Pratley's leadership valued, but time for new blood.

Leyton Orient captain Darren Pratley is expected to leave the club at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Pratley will be out of contract in the summer and the O’s are unlikely to offer him an extension.

He will be missed by the East London club, but an emerging talent appears to be ready to replace him going forward.

Darren Pratley’s Leyton Orient future

Pratley signed for Orient in 2021 after leaving Charlton as a free agent and was immediately handed the captain’s armband by then-manager Kenny Jackett.

The midfielder had previous experience of playing under Jackett for Swansea City in the 2006-07 season.

Having been an important part of Charlton’s side, in both the Championship and League One, Pratley relished the drop-down to League Two in his debut campaign for the O’s.

He played 39 times in the league, accumulating over 3,000 minutes, as the club finished in mid-table.

In the 2022-23 season, he made the same number of League Two appearances - this time under Richie Wellens - as Orient lifted the title.

Wellens repeatedly emphasised the importance of Pratley’s leadership over the course of the campaign.

However, at this stage of his career, Pratley was never going to take well to the return to a higher division.

He has played 31 times for the O’s in League One, although most of which have come as a second-half substitute.

The former Bolton Wanderers man is only really needed when seeing out results.

The signing of Pratley certainly proved to be a shrewd one, but there is no need to keep him aroundin any capacity other than a coaching role.

Zech Obiero should replace Pratley

Zech Obiero was part of Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy before joining Orient in 2019 at the age of 14.

And, he made his O’s debut three years later in a 2-0 victory over Crawley Town in League Two.

The youngster has since made loan moves to National League South clubs Cheshunt Town and Chelmsford City due to a lack of opportunities at the Gaughan Group Stadium.

However, with the O’s falling out of contention for the League One play-off places, Wellens decided to give Obiero a chance to shine.

The midfielder played 77 minutes in the recent 3-1 win over Cheltenham Town,and he did not look out of place.

He also played 75 minutes in the 2-2 draw with Exeter City, and the O’s were leading 2-0 when he departed the game.

The 19-year-old has looked comfortable on the ball, completing nearly 81% of his passes across four League One appearances this season (Whoscored).

Like Pratley, his industry is particularly impressive, highlighted by his 2.1 tackles and team-leading 1.6 interceptions per 90 minutes.

While the sample size is small, Obiero could not have done much more to suggest that he is ready to be a part of the first team squad.

By no means should he be a regular starter, but he is more than capable of replacing Pratley as the team’s fifth or sixth-choice midfielder.

And, a key factor is that he will not cost the club any sort of fee – all that needs to be done is to agree a contract extension.