After a couple of days of speculation, the Imps have completed the permanent signing of Deji Elerewe from Sky Bet League Two side Bromley.
City will officially pay the infamous ‘undisclosed fee‘ for the central defender who has signed a deal which will run until the summer of 2029, plus a one-year club option. It is believed that the sum is in the low six figures, and it is fact that the contract shows a huge belief in Elerewe’s ability to progress.
The 22-year-old has made 23 appearances for the League Two leaders this season, scoring four times and being instrumental in their defensive record of conceding the third fewest goals in the division. There is a lot more to him than that, as you’ll see elsewhere on the site in a deep dive on him and his strengths.
“Having monitored Deji for some time, signing him on a permanent transfer in this window was a market opportunity that we couldn’t afford to miss,” said City’s sporting director Jez George.
“Deji has outstanding physical attributes, an outstanding mentality and demonstrates all the behaviours that we value. He is super aggressive in his defending, aerially dominant and defends his box with real desire. We are really excited that we’ve convinced him that we are the right club for the next steps in his career, as Deji has huge potential and a really high ceiling.”
It will need to be a high ceiling, as it is believed he tops off at 6ft 5 inchs tall, which just about makes him too tall for a standard door opening, but will make him a towering presence at the back for the Imps.
“Great credit should go to our head of recruitment Joe Hutchinson for identifying this opportunity and his tireless work to get the deal over the line,” added Jez, once again paying tribute to a recruitment team that was also able to turn the transfer of Alfie Lloyd around at short notice after we lost Justin Obikwu.
There is no doubt this is a great capture on paper, a player likely to be available immediately and, hopefully, add value to the backline, albeit through competition for the right centre back slot in the first instance.