As the January transfer window approaches, discussion will switch to the essentials.
What areas are essential for us to strengthen? I’ve seen comments about ‘the Americans‘ backing the team, about putting hands in pockets, but they’re glib responses at best. That’s not the Lincoln City way, and anyone saying our way doesn’t work can just have a quick look at the current league table.
I’ve sat down, gone through the squad, and the most striking conclusion about Lincoln City’s position is a simple one: there are no essentials this January, only desirables. That may feel counterintuitive in a window traditionally driven by urgency and panic, but looking at where City are right now, there is no single position crying out for attention, no glaring weakness that threatens progress up the division if left unaddressed.
That is not to say there are no areas we could strengthen, or players we might like to bring in for the here and now rather than the future. It is simply an acknowledgement that, with what is already planned and what is already in the building, there is nothing fundamental missing from this squad.
The arrival of Josh Honohan underlines that point. Honohan addresses an issue that existed more in terms of balance and cover than outright quality. While Adam Reach and Tendayi Darikwa have both been outstanding at full-back, depth has been thinner than ideal. Honohan changes that. He is not coming in to sit on the bench, he will want to play, and that gives City another genuine first team option across both sides of the defence.
Crucially, it also adds flexibility further forward. Reach is not just a left back or a winger, he is someone who can operate in multiple roles, and Honohan’s presence allows that to be used more creatively. If Darikwa were injured, Honohan could play right back with Reach on the left. If Reach were unavailable, Honohan could play left back. That adaptability strengthens the squad without needing multiple signings.
At centre-half, it is hard to argue there is an essential requirement. Sonny Bradley and Tom Hamer are playing extremely well, neither looks close to suspension thresholds, and injuries are the only realistic concern. Even then, Ryley Towler offers cover, Adam Jackson is back on the grass, and Lewis Montsma has not even been mentioned by me at this point. Five centre-halves for two positions, with the option of switching to a back three, makes a permanent January addition feel unnecessary.
The same logic applies in holding midfield. Conor McGrandles and Tom Bayliss have that role locked down, and any signing would have to be exceptional to justify disrupting that balance. Adam Reach can operate there if needed, and Ivan Varfolomeev’s cameo yesterday showed there are internal solutions available. Adding depth for the sake of it risks repeating situations we have seen before, players signed who struggle for minutes and are then criticised as wasted budget.
Further forward, the squad is well stocked. Jack Moylan plays whenever fit, Dom Jeffries brings energy, Reco Hackett is arguably in the best form of his Lincoln City career, and Ben House will return to add further options. With no cup competitions left, a narrow squad is not only acceptable, it is logical.
The loudest calls tend to come at number nine, but again, essentials matter. Freddie Draper is drastically underrated right now. He may not be prolific, but he is a regular starter for a side sitting second in League One. That alone challenges the idea that he is not good enough. Rob Street continues to contribute through relentless pressing and work rate, and goals are being shared across the team rather than funnelled through one individual.
This side is not built around a 20-goal striker. It never has been. History shows Lincoln City can succeed without one when the collective functions properly. The question is not whether we would like another striker, of course, we would. The question is whether it is essential, and the answer is no.
So where does that leave January? Ideally, perhaps one attacking option, possibly a low-risk loan, someone in the mould of Joe Gardner last season, an unknown quantity who can add something without expectation. But that is preference, not necessity.
In truth, this squad looks well-balanced, settled and confident. By the time the window closes, there may be a couple in and a couple out, but the core will remain. There is nothing that must be fixed, only momentum to be maintained.
If City keep doing what they have done over the last six weeks, the essentials will take care of themselves.
Up the Imps.