1. Tashan Oakley-Boothe
The title of worst loan signing in the EFL era belongs, in my opinion, to Tashan Oakley-Boothe. Signed from Stoke with a Tottenham pedigree, Mark Kennedy raved about him—one of the names circled in his scouting notebook. He looked decent on opening day, but then nosedived.
Six league starts, countless sideways passes, no spark, no grit. His showing in his final game against Barnsley—distracted, disinterested and disconnected—was one of the worst individual Lincoln performances in recent memory. A player who looked like he didn’t want to be here by the end. And after that night, he never was again.
Final Thoughts
Loan signings are always a gamble. For every Morgan Rogers, there’s a Plange. For every Tyler Walker, a Tashan. Some of these lads went on to decent careers. Some of our loans are in the England squad, others scoring winners in European finals. Their replacements, in some instances, have ended up in League One relegation battles, or wandering off the the Portuguese second division for a sit on the bench.
This isn’t a hit piece, assassinating the players. They’re all professionals, they’ve all achieved a lot more than I ever will in the game. No, it’s a history lesson. Lincoln City, like every club, has its transfer missteps. Some of those promised a lot – Dan Nlundulu was hugely sought after when we signed him, Luke Plange was our number one target ahead of the likes of Sincliar Armstrong. They came in with a reputation and didn’t back up the hype.
If nothing else, remembering them reminds us just how good the successful ones were.
Who did we miss for the list? Lee Angol? Jake Hesketh? Who’s been too harshly judged? Let us know in the comments. And keep an eye out for the best loan signings list coming soon—because we’ve had some belters, too.