22/23 is now firmly done and before we look to the next campaign, we need to look back and review. This time I’m back with part two of rating our 22/23 signings.
In this piece, I take a look back at our January recruits and see how they got on as well as give them an all-important AllLincoln Rating.
Harry Boyes
Harry Boyes arrived as our first January signing on loan to help improve our wing-back options. He came in as a direct replacement for Jamie Robson, who left on a permanent deal to Forest Green in search of regular football after being benched by the in-form Sean Roughan. Harry too was benched by Roughan in the first half of his spell but once he got his opportunity he grabbed it with both hands. Sheffield Wednesday away saw him come into the side due to Roughan being unavailable and away with the Irish National Team. He really took his opportunity from there and nailed down his place in the side ahead of Roughan with a string of impressive performances offensively and defensively.
Harry was a top addition and was a crucial part in our best form of the season in March and April, if he was available on loan again (which is likely) I’d have him back at Sincil Bank next season. AllLincoln Rating: 7.5/10
Mide Shodipo
Mide Shodipo was a shock announcement a few hours before kick-off at MK Dons away but even if it was a shock, it looked like a real coup for us and we might get what we wanted when we signed Jordon Garrick in the previous transfer window. Mide had previously been successful in League One with Oxford, but suffered an injury hit spell with Sheffield Wednesday in 21/22. He again started slowly with us but much like Boyes, he took his opportunity later in the campaign and showed some real talent in the last few weeks of the season. He scored important goals away at Derby and Plymouth and the latter will certainly be the highlight of his spell with the Imps.
Mide has now been released by his parent club, QPR, and could potentially be on his way back to the Imps considering the success of his spell. AllLincoln Rating: 7/10
Luke Plange
Luke Plange was the third signing of the window for City and he came with high expectations from Crystal Palace on loan after being bought just a year before for a million pounds from Derby County. Unfortunately for Plange, we aren’t a team that suits strikers like him and when Ben House wasn’t in the team, we looked the worse for it. He only got the opportunity when House wasn’t available and when he did he failed to impress. One day he’ll become a very good striker, he didn’t miss chances for us and he wasn’t bad on the ball, he was just naïve and didn’t do enough off the ball for me.
Luke will probably go on to have a good League One loan spell next season but that won’t be with us. AllLincoln Rating: 3/10
Dylan Duffy
Dylan Duffy is perhaps the biggest surprise of the January transfer window, potentially even the whole season. I didn’t expect Dylan to get many minutes between his signing in January and the end of the season, but he took his opportunity well when he got it. He looked bright against Port Vale when he came on and won us the game with his cross to Adam Jackson late-on, and scored a nice header against Wycombe too. I’m excited to see what he can bring us next season with regular minutes, he is sure one to look out for.
He hasn’t come in and played twenty games for us but he wasn’t expected to, and in the opportunities he’s had, he’s done very well. I reckon in a year’s time, we might be talking about having a battle to keep him at the club, with Championship clubs sniffing around.
Ethan Erhahon
I genuinely think I could write pages on how much I love the way Ethan Erhahon plays, he doesn’t score from 35 yards, he doesn’t play 55-yard stunning passes often and he doesn’t clear the ball off the line with a bicycle kick, he does the simple things that makes a team work. He picks up the ball moves it forward, wins the ball and retains possession, and helps us reorganize after an attacking corner because he can pluck the ball out of the air with ease. He makes us look so much calmer on and off the ball and he is one of the biggest reasons we looked so good from January onwards in so many games. Ethan has only lost four times in a City shirt, and in one of them he went off injured after forty minutes, we are a better team with him in it and to have him as our player is so important for our chances next season.
Ethan is an 8/10 every week without fail and I think he will make us some big money in the future. AllLincoln Rating: 9.5/10
January was actually a really good window for us, to get 4 out of the 5 signings right is very good and isn’t given enough praise and to think the only poor performer out of the 5 was Luke Plange, who at the end of the day is on loan, I think the recruitment team deserve some praise for that.