Lincoln City claim made on Norwich City's Jovon Makama - 'seven-figure' bonus looms if 'West Ham' came calling | OneFootball

FLW's Imps fan pundit can't wait to see how far their academy product can go following an impressive campaign at Norwich City thus far

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jovon Makama has arguably been the Championship's 'player of the Christmas period,' if ever an award did exist, with five goals across four starts between December 13 and January 1.

Of all the underwhelming transfers who have come through the door in the past few years at Carrow Road, the 21-year-old's arrival from Lincoln City, where he came through the academy, for £1.2 million was seen as an astute bit of business.

Now, though, Makama is only two goals from topping the second-tier scoring charts, and only six players have scored more than him in the Championship. One who was brought in for the future is seemingly staking his claim as one of the brighter talents in the division.

As is the case when a lower league side sells to a team in the tier above, sell-on clauses are common, and now some Lincoln fans are looking ahead to the future to see how much of a payout they could get as and when the 21-year-old takes that next step.

And while Gary Hutchinson, FLW's Imps fan pundit, is thinking about that, his overwhelming emotion is pride in seeing one of their own succeed.

Lincoln City fan pundit "really excited" to see how far Jovon Makama can go

If Makama continues his scoring form in the Championship from the past few weeks over a couple of seasons, there'll be sides in the top flight knocking on the door at Carrow Road looking to take him off of Norwich's hands and into the Premier League.

That prospect is what Hutchinson is most excited about, but the prospect of a healthy sell-on clause doesn't harm, either.

"It's absolutely great seeing Jovon doing so well," he said.

"It's about a year to the game week since I heard him booed off after Stevenage when we drew 0-0. He missed a sitter, and people were saying he'd never make it as a striker.

"In the pub afterwards, I was telling people that the club felt he'd be worth £1 million, and the response was that he was nowhere near it, and that they'd drive him out themselves for £100,000!

"So, of course, I'm massively excited to see where a Lincoln academy graduate could go. Seeing him in the Premier League would be amazing!"

The likelihood is that if a Premier League dream is to be recognised anytime soon, it won't be with Norwich, who are in a clear transition period now, having turned to Philippe Clement after the Liam Manning experiment failed.

That would indicate a sale to a top-flight side and, given the fact that Makama is an English attacker in his early 20s, a possible eight-figure fee, which could generate a hefty windfall amount for the Imps.

"We got a good fee for him anyway," Hutchinson continued. "With add-ons, the £1.2 million could become £2 million, but imagine if a team like West Ham came in for him for around £10 million...we could be in for another seven-figure bonus.

"That's what clubs like us need, and it's why we develop young players.

"But first and foremost, over any sort of financial gain, I'm just pleased for Jovon himself. He was a great player and conducted himself brilliantly, even when he was getting abuse from Lincoln fans.

"He's reacting to his detractors with goals, rather than anything else, and I respect him for that."

Makama currently stands at Lincoln's record sale, surpassing the £750,000 they received from Bolton Wanderers for Ethan Erhahon.

If there's a good sell-on clause in that deal, they could eclipse that quarter-of-a-million number with the amount they'd receive as and when Makama does move on, if his form continues.

As Hutchinson alluded to, that would be huge for the Imps, whose progression from a side in the National League in 2017 to the brink of the Championship today has been admirable.

Despite their league position, Lincoln still doesn't have the financial resources that some of their rival third-tier sides do. Currently, it doesn't seem like it phases Michael Skubala's side, but another seven-figure payout would help them improve both on and off the field.