Wycombe Wanderers could send statement of intent by poaching Lincoln City ace | OneFootball

Wycombe Wanderers could send a statement of intent by beating Huddersfield Town and Barnsley to the signing of Lincoln City's Paudie O'Connor.

Wycombe Wanderers could pull off a huge statement of intent in the transfer market by completing the signing of Lincoln City’s Paudie O’Connor, who is said to be of interest to the Chairboys.

Despite the transfer window slamming shut for a week ahead of the Club World Cup, we’re well and truly in the midst of silly season when it comes to transfers. Plenty of clubs have already been busy in League One, with Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, and Stevenage already adding multiple new faces to their respective squads.

One of the many clubs yet to be active in the transfer market is Wycombe, who ended the season late after being defeated in the League One play-off semi-finals. The Chairboys are expected to be in and around the top six picture again next term, so it will likely be another busy window at Adams Park.

Whilst plenty of last season’s squad remain at the club, Wanderers are looking rather light in their defensive unit, as Caleb Taylor and Sonny Bradley’s loan deals expired, and Joe Low disappointingly making the switch to League One rivals Huddersfield.

However, Wycombe were reported to be leading the race to sign out-of-contract Lincoln skipper O’Connor, ahead of league rivals such as Huddersfield and Barnsley. If the Chairboys pull this coup off, it could be seen as a real statement of intent to the rest of League One, reminding them not to write Mike Dodds’ men off.

Paudie O’Connor could help plug a huge hole in the Wycombe Wanderers squad

In the second half of last season, Wycombe were blessed by having three exceptional defenders at League One level in Low, Taylor, and Bradley. Unfortunately, Low found himself unable to dislodge his colleagues after an injury, which saw him stuck on the bench towards the end of the season.

With Taylor and Bradley’s loan deals coming to an end after last campaign, there was hope that the Welshman would sign an extension to his contract at Adams Park. That wouldn’t be the case though, as Low headed to Yorkshire and linked up with Lee Grant’s Terriers.

As it stands, Wanderers have just four senior centre-back on their books currently in Anders Hagelskjaer, Alex Hartridge, Ryan Tafazolli, and Declan Skura. Winter signing Hagelskjaer is expected to be a starter next season, after being unlucky with injury and illness in his first half-season in HP12.

However, the futures of Hartridge, Tafazolli and Skura remain unclear. Both of the former struggled for minutes last season and were sent on loan spells in January to Exeter City and Lee Man FC respectively. Skura remains a somewhat unknown quantity, and could be in line for a loan move to boost his development.

With that in mind, it’s likely the Chairboys will need to bring in at least two central defenders to plug the gaps left by departures, and provide healthy competition and cover in the squad with Hagelskjaer. This makes O’Connor a perfect addition to kick off Dodds’ summer rebuild.

The Irish defender ranked highly among defensive stats in League One last season, despite playing for a Lincoln side which languished in mid-table for the majority of the campaign. Replacing top-level third tier defenders with another on a free transfer would be a great start to the summer.

Wycombe could lay down a statement of intent by beating Huddersfield and Barnsley to O’Connor

Despite reportedly being in pole position to land the centre-back, sorting out a deal for O’Connor won’t be a straightforward task for Wycombe. Football League World exclusively revealed that Huddersfield and Barnsley were interested in the Lincoln skipper, and Derby County have reportedly opened talks with him as well.

The 27-year-old is a highly sought-after player, as his strong stint with Michael Skubala’s side has proven he’s ready to make the step-up to a promotion-pushing League One side. A couple of years ago, the move from Sincil Bank to Adams Park would've seemed a sideways step, but that is no longer the case.

Lincoln have struggled in recent years despite showing some signs of promise, ultimately leading to key players looking to move on. Given Wycombe's spending and table position last season, the Blues have firmly established themselves as one of League One's promotion challengers.

Whilst clubs like Huddersfield, Barnsley, and Derby are undeniably much bigger, it would be a real statement of intent from Wanderers to win the race for O'Connor's signature. This will certainly send a message to their rivals, reminding them not to forget about Wycombe as a shoo-in for promotion next term.