Lincoln City should take easy option and avoid potential January raid | OneFootball

Lincoln City should take the easy option that they have at their disposal when it comes to the January transfer window.

Lincoln City should take the easy option that they have at their disposal when it comes to the January transfer window.

It would bolster their own defensive security, and avoid a potential raid of one of their more important talents if they choose to do so.

Keeping hold of Lewis Montsma is key

Lewis Montsma signed a fresh contract with Lincoln City during the summer warm-weather training camp in Spain.

The Dutch defender has been plagued by recurring injuries, but has stamped his place back amongst the Imps ranks over recent weeks.

The 26-year-old’s gametime has been managed and spread around a fixture list that is seemingly always packed to the brim. But, when Montsma has featured, he has impressed.

The deal he penned in the summer runs until January 9, 2025, according to Transfermarkt. So, head coach Michael Skubala, CEO Liam Scully and Lincoln’s recruitment staff will have to act fast, should they wish to keep Montsma in a City shirt beyond the winter transfer window.

An important cog in the Lincoln City defence

He would be a big loss, leaving the Imps without one of their key defensive options at a time when they continue to struggle for numbers due to injuries elsewhere in the team. That has led to wing-back Tendayi Darikwa being pulled into the centre of defence, alongside near ever-present captain Paudie O’Connor and the reliable Sean Roughan.

Adam Jackson is currently sidelined with an injury to his face, sustained in a collision with a Rotherham United counterpart, and with the potential for fresh injuries always lurking, strength in depth is king.

Montsma is not always available, playing only eight of Lincoln City’s Sky Bet League One games so far this term, but it is critical that the Imps have that option.

When the Amsterdam-born defender has been away from the matchday squad his absence has been felt. Even if he is not to start, which he has only done in 30% of his league appearances this term, having an option as strong as Montsma on the bench remains valuable.

Montsma well and truly back from injury

He may be in and out of the team, with a return of his ACL injury not something that Lincoln City wish to inadvertently trigger, but Montsma has shown he is more than ready to play when called upon by former Leeds United caretaker boss Michael Skubala.

Montsma did not feature even once for Lincoln last season, with his start in October against Stockport County a first since March 2023. That was some 581 days after his last before the Hatters came to the LNER Stadium.

He was absent from a duo of away defeats, at high-flying Wrexham and Steve Evans’ Rotherham, before returning for a clean sheet against Charlton Athletic.

Montsma has played the full 90 minutes in six of Lincoln’s last nine matches, while he came on at half-time in one of the three fixtures he did not start in.

Across all competitions, the central-defender has made 12 appearances this term. That dwarfs the eight he made in 2022/23, and is steadily closing in on the 26 he made in the prior campaign.

Lincoln should tie Montsma down to a fresh deal in January, preventing any rivals from coming knocking and securing themselves a strong defensive option for the term’s run-in. It's the easy option and can be so beneficial.