When rumours of a new Lincoln City signing surfaced, our resident stat man began to get very excited.
In fact, he got so excited, rather than just talk about it on the podcast, he wanted to show you in graphs why this signing is just utterly perfect. There is no better place to do that than here, so, in the written words of Chris Laming, here is an explanation of why Deji Elerewe is perfect for Lincoln City
Introduction
With Sonny Bradley and Tom Hamer currently established as the preferred centre-back pairing, alongside the availability of Ryley Towler and the imminent return to full fitness of Adam Jackson, the immediate need for an additional centre-back could reasonably be questioned.
With an expiring contract in the summer, an attractive age profile and strong performances in the division below, the signing of Deji Elerewe could be seen as nothing more than a market opportunity with an eye on the future. However, I feel he also represents a smart capture for the here and now.
To assess this, it is useful to benchmark Elerewe against the existing partnership of Bradley and Hamer. Despite operating together as a centre-back pairing within a back-four system, their roles within the wider tactical framework differ.
In possession, Hamer frequently occupies wider positions, with McGrandles regularly dropping between the centre-backs to facilitate build-up play. This rotation enables Darikwa to adopt a higher starting position with Hackett, narrower and closer to the forward line. By contrast, Bradley adopts a more conservative positional profile, usually remaining narrower and deeper, as is reflected in the corresponding heat maps.
Michael Skubala’s system favours a ball-side plus-one in front of the defensive line – a more positionally aggressive approach than the industry norm and a key component of the Imps’ counter-pressing capabilities. Out of possession, centre-backs are often expected to step ahead of the defensive line to track opposition attackers dropping into deeper areas.
These tactical demands underline the importance of any central defensive signing being capable of both stepping ahead of the defensive line and being comfortable occupying wider areas without compromising dominance in their own penalty box.
Sonny Bradley
Tom Hamer
Deji Elerewe
From a positional perspective, Elerewe’s profile aligns more closely with Hamer than with Bradley. His heat map demonstrates an ability to operate aggressively ahead of the defensive line, while remaining comfortable defending in wider areas. He also offers genuine versatility, showing comfort on both sides of the defence. Notably, Elerewe records frequent touches inside the opposition penalty area, often making first contact from set pieces. His attacking output further underlines this threat: two goals, four assists and the highest expected assists (xA) figure indicates he is a regular aerial danger for opposition defences.
Bromley have scored the most set-piece goals in League Two, have the second-lowest average possession, rank highest for long-pass percentage and are joint-highest for clean sheets. From a tactical perspective, this profile shares clear similarities with Lincoln, making a smooth transition into the Imps’ squad a reasonable expectation.
Bromley’s low-possession, direct approach contextualises Elerewe’s relatively modest passing volumes. More encouraging are the nature of those passes, particularly the proportion that are progressive and his strong “passing threat” metrics, indicating that his on-ball actions significantly increase the likelihood of creating scoring opportunities by advancing the ball into dangerous areas. While not a primary feature of his game, Elerewe is also comfortable carrying the ball, with two assists stemming directly from progressive carries.
Defensively, he is highly dominant in the air, winning 74% of his aerial duels (sixth highest in League Two). By comparison, Bradley and Hamer record success rates of 65% and 69%, respectively. Ranking within the top eight per cent for tackle success further highlights his intelligence in choosing when to engage, as well as his effectiveness in the challenge when he chooses to do so.
While his clearance numbers may initially appear low, they align closely with Hamer’s profile, with both averaging 6.3 per match, compared to Bradley’s average of nine. Bradley typically assumes responsibility for the majority of first contacts inside the defensive penalty area, a role comparable to that of Omar Sowunmi (Elerewe’s defensive partner at Bromley), who averages 9.1. The comparatively modest clearance volume is also reflective of both Lincoln’s and Bromley’s defensive units being subjected to less sustained pressure than many of their opponents, indicating that the quality of defensive actions is a more reliable indicator of ability than raw volume alone.
When compared with all current central defenders across League One and League Two, Elerewe most closely profiles alongside Tom Hamer, Omar Sowunmi and Sonny Bradley, with Adam Jackson also ranking in his top ten comparable players.
I was hoping to offer a balanced appraisal of Deji Elerewe’s attributes, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses. However, it is very difficult to spot any obvious limitations in his game. The defensive zone graphic illustrates an outstanding skillset for defensive actions in all zones. This reflects both strong versatility and a defensive profile that far exceeds typical League Two standards, indicating he is well-equipped for a step up to the third tier and possesses potential to play even higher.
In summary, Deji Elerewe is a mobile, front-footed defender who is dominant aerially in both boxes, providing a significant threat from set pieces. Given his strong performances in a side with a stylistic approach similar to the Imps, a smooth transition could be possible. In the event of injury, his signing also offers valuable flexibility, allowing Hamer to deputise at full-back (with Honohan not yet available) while enabling the team to maintain its current tactical structure. This would preserve the system more effectively than a Jackson–Bradley partnership, particularly in light of Hamer’s more aggressive positional responsibilities.
Elerewe appears an excellent fit for the Imps, capable of supplementing the existing squad while having the potential to grow with the club as we strive for Championship football.
Welcome to the Imps, Deji.