Huddersfield Town have lost Harry Toffolo and Lewis O'Brien to Nottingham Forest just days before taking on Bolton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly.
Wanderers host the Terriers this Saturday at the University of Bolton Stadium. It will be the final outing in pre-season for Ian Evatt's side before the start of the League One campaign at the end of July.
Town are similarly preparing for the beginning of the Championship season. They begin the campaign at the John Smith's Stadium against Burnley.
READ MORE: 'Opportunity' - Ian Evatt sends Bolton Wanderers players message ahead of Huddersfield Town friendly
But the Yorkshire side will be without defender Toffolo and midfielder O'Brien against the Whites. They have both moved to Forest on permanent deals ahead of the Nottingham club's return to the Premier League.
Speaking about Toffolo's departure, Town’s head of football operations Leigh Bromby said: “On behalf of everyone at the Club, I want to thank Harry and wish him the very best of luck as he embarks upon his new challenge. Harry made a massive contribution to our team, on and off the pitch, and now he has the chance to play at the highest level.
“As has been reported, we did enter new contract negotiations with Harry and his representatives some time ago. We offered him a deal that would have made him our highest paid player at the time, and he turned it down. That happens in football and every other walk of life, and it certainly did not adversely affect our relationship - or Harry’s performances last season.
“It did mean that he was entering the final year of his contract, which is a big consideration for a Club. When the opportunity to play Premier League football also became a possibility, it made this move right for everyone involved.”
Regarding O'Brien leaving too, Bromby added: "We’ve known Lewis a very long time and we’re all proud of the player, and man, he has become. He’s clearly established himself as one of the best players in the Sky Bet Championship and has earned the opportunity to play in the Premier League.
“Lewis, like Harry, totally committed to our process of how we develop players and worked tirelessly with our staff to improve every aspect of his game. They both deserve all the credit in the world for that, as do our staff.
“It’s a constant in football that players move on, but we understand that days like this are always sad ones for fans who have created a bond with players like Lewis and Harry. However, they were understandably interested in the opportunity to play in the Premier League. As always, the transfer agreement then had to be right for the Club – the move wouldn’t happen otherwise – and we eventually reached a position that every party was satisfied with.
“We knew that we could realistically lose Lewis and Harry in this transfer window, so we’ve prepared for that eventuality by bolstering those positions in acquiring Yuta Nakayama, David Kasumu and Jack Rudoni. We feel the squad is in a good position, but we will also never stop looking at ways we can improve.”
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