Picture: Chris Vaughan/Lincoln City FC
The news is out, Tyler Walker has re-joined Lincoln City on a permanent deal following his release from Coventry at the end of last season.
The 26-year-old hit sixteen goals during a prolific loan spell with the Imps in the 2019/20 season, capturing the hearts of many City fans, with his return being rumoured every single transfer window since he left the club back in 2020. He had previously had a spell with Mansfield Town where he scored twenty-six times and was named in the League Two Team of the Season.
He left the Imps on January Transfer Deadline Day back in January 2020, with Nottingham Forest recalling the striker and leaving Michael Appleton with not many options going into the second half of the season. He didn’t do as well as expected with Forest in the second half their campaign, scoring just a single goal to secure a 2-0 win against Leeds United at the City Ground. In the summer of 2021, he signed for Coventry City on a permanent deal to get regular Championship football. He scored twelve goals for Coventry in seventy games, but the majority of his goals for the club came in his first season, scoring seven. He struggled with injuries in the final two years with The Sky Blues limiting his gametime, and also departed on a loan to Portsmouth, which didn’t go too well.
Upon re-signing for the club, Tyler told the club’s media team: “I know the club really well. I had a great relationship with the fans before and I’m looking forward to playing and scoring in front of the fans again. I’ve had some great memories here and so I’m really looking forward to get started and again and making some more.
“The fans were unbelievable with me before and we created a great relationship. know I want to make that relationship even stronger and hopefully provide some some goals and entertainment along the way.”
Imps head coach Mark Kennedy added: “Tyler is a player of huge quality, who needs no introduction to our fans, with proven ability to score goals and is a massive signing for us. With Ben House, he gives us two outstanding centre forwards.
“We need to be patient with Tyler as he catches up with his fitness compared to the rest of the group, being a few weeks behind when he has signed, but equally we know our supporters will be really excited by his return.”
Director of football Jez George said: “Tyler has shown this is a football decision by signing without us compromising our wage structure. Tyler has a huge affection for the club and our fans, which is also clearly mutual, but most importantly he believes Mark is the right head coach and Lincoln City are the right club for him at this point in his career. We look forward to seeing him a Lincoln City shirt again.”
Time and time again, I said Tyler wasn’t going to return this summer, I’ve done it again and been proved wrong. He’s back and he’s perfect. I think the signing is a gigantic statement of intent by the football and considering he’s picked us for ‘footballing reasons’ I think it shows just how far we’ve come as a football club. I’m really glad we’ve got Tyler back and despite a tough time since leaving the club, he’s chosen Lincoln City over clubs that would pay him more money to get his career back on track and I think that is a statement from a player that wants to do well and help the team.
I’m sat here with a massive smile on my face as I write this, and I think everyone else, especially Cornell, will be the same. We can now officially say “Tyler Walker is a Lincoln City player“.