Lincoln City deal that brought in Nottingham Forest spark is well worth repeating | OneFootball

Lincoln City should look to the loan market to recapture some of the magic that has seen them to success in the past.

Lincoln City should look to the loan market to recapture some of the magic that has seen them to success in the past.

Often loan signings from teams higher up the football pyramid can prove to be a cheaper and more effective way of building a strong team. The Imps have made full use of this in the past, and would be greatly benefited if they repeat the feat again this summer.

Work is underway as Michael Skubala’s side prepare for another term in Sky Bet League One, looking to build on the 11th-placed finish with a challenge for the play-off spots.

Tottenham Hotspur star Brennan Johnson shone at the Imps

Long before preparing to line-up in the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United, Brennan Johnson learned the ropes at Lincoln.

During the 2020/21, he helped propel the Imps all the way to the League One play-off final alongside current Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers. It was the record finish for the club, and one they have not been able to match or better in the years that have followed.

Johnson, now leading from the front at European glory chasing Tottenham, notched 15 goal contributions across 40 league games during his loan stint. He has come a long way since impressing for the Imps, and even scored in Spurs' progression through the semi-finals of the Europa League recently.

His ten goals while away from parent club Nottingham Forest were a vital source of attacking gold for a Lincoln side who were able to challenge at the upper end of the third tier and push beyond their means to reach the Wembley Stadium showpiece final.

Despite defeat to Blackpool at the final hurdle, the then-Michael Appleton-managed side proved the worth of a loanee in the current footballing climate. Rogers, and more so Johnson, impressed for Lincoln all the way through their respective season-long loan spells, and had quality that would not have been added in the form of a permanent signing.

Lincoln City would feel full benefit of another stellar loan

Lincoln would benefit from a repeat of their successes with Johnson as they look ahead to the upcoming campaign.

Not only did the Welshman gain immensely from his season-long excursion to the LNER Stadium, with him returning to Forest for a play-off-winning Championship campaign, but the Imps were helped too. Without Johnson and Rogers, City would surely have come nowhere close to their near-promotion-sealing return.

A top-quality loan player has the potential to elevate any team, doing so for cheaper than a permanent signing often can. Lincoln are on the lower end of League One’s financial rich list, but have continually worked in a savvy and clever manner to stretch every penny as far as it can go.

The top sides in the third tier have heaps of funds to fall back on in hopes of building a better squad, whereas the likes of the Imps need to be much more delicate and precise with their spending power.

In the defensive areas, with young left-sided Irishman Sean Roughan and club captain Paudie O’Connor both linked to moves away at the end of their respective contracts this summer, the loan market could be an important tool for Skubala’s side.

It is not cheap to replace the quality of Roughan and O'Connor, while also strengthening and consolidating in other areas of the pitch where the Imps recruitment staff see fit. That is why the loan market becomes an interesting proposition, with the likes of current Huddersfield Town striker Joe Taylor and former Millwall defender Alex Mitchell emphasising over recent years the depths to which loanees can add hugely to the overarching talent within a Lincoln squad.